


The Price of Blood

by ClareGuilty



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Blood, Blow Jobs, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fingerfucking, Fluff and Smut, Needles, POV Female Character, POV Second Person, Post-Recall, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Smut, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-02-14 22:52:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 40,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13017864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClareGuilty/pseuds/ClareGuilty
Summary: Reader is seriously injured on a mission with Soldier 76 and Jesse McCree. Jack gives her his blood in an attempt to save her life but is forced to deal with the consequences when her body reacts to the SEP chemicals.Rating may change





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Misconduct](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8572498) by [Antiloquist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antiloquist/pseuds/Antiloquist), [FiveTail](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiveTail/pseuds/FiveTail). 



> This is inspired by Misconduct by Fivetail and Antiloquist! I would also recommend Gaqalesqua's work as well! All have wonderful work!

“McCree, you take the left corridor and secure the objective.” Soldier 76 barked. “Rookie, you come with me. We’ll clear out the hostiles and check these offices up ahead.” You followed him as he continued down the hall of the Talon base. McCree gave you a friendly wave before ducking down the left corridor towards the server rooms. Soldier kicked open the first door in the hall, ducking in with his weapon drawn. You remained behind him, checking to see no Talon agents were approaching from behind before following him into the room.

Soldier was scanning the contents of some folders scattered on the in the office desk. His expression was masked by his visor, but you could tell he was tense. His shoulders were set and his glove gripped his pulse rifle tightly. You stood guard by the door as he rifled through the office. After a minute or so, Soldier gave you the all clear. You followed him down the row of offices, each one empty and none of them containing information the mercenary deemed important enough to take or destroy. Once you finished searching through the offices he led you to another section of the Talon base.

“We’re likely to run into hostiles here.” He warned you, “Stay alert and keep in communication with me.”

“Yes, sir!” You nodded. It was clear you were anxious; this was only your second mission since the recall and you still worried about having to take the lives of other people, even if they were dangerous.

Soldier pushed into the next room with his weapon drawn, his visor scanning the area faster than you could even step into the room behind him. He fired 4 quick shots and you heard 3 bodies hit the floor. You suddenly were very thankful that Winston has assigned you with Soldier and Mccree. You trusted Mccree with your life, and 76 was turning out to be a very reliable teammate. Despite his rough exterior and intimidating isolation, Soldier had started to grow on you in the past few weeks. You had opened up to him about your experience at the Swiss base, and he seemed supportive of your research into the fall of overwatch. You weren’t sure what stake a vigilante could have in such information, but you figured that the explosion could have affected thousands of lives.

The next few rooms seemed to follow the same pattern. Soldier would run in, eliminate the hostiles before you had time to react, and then the two of you would confirm the kills and search for and information that would aid in taking down Talon. You and Soldier fell into an easy rhythm, which is probably why you got shot.

One of the last rooms in the base, you followed 76 as he incapacitated the enemy agents. You were scanning the room when a searing pain ripped through the back of your neck. You collapsed to the ground instantly. Your eyes were watering and it felt like your whole body was on fire. You heard Soldier call out your name, and then you heard several shots fired in rapid succession, too many to just kill an enemy target. He was ensuring that the fucker was dead.

“Mccree! Reader’s been shot. We need to leave now. Grab the hard drives and wipe the server rooms. I’m gonna take her to the ship.” You heard Soldier bark into the comms.

“Oh shit-fuck,” Mccree swore, “I’m on it. I’ll head straight to the ship when I’m done here.”

A pained cry was ripped from your throat as Soldier lifted you into his arms. You couldn’t keep your eyes open, but you felt every footstep and every jerk as 76 ran to the dropship. Your world was blackness and fire, yet you felt cold and as though you were constantly falling. You could hear 76’s heavy breathing as he sprinted back through the Talon base. But you couldn't remain conscious long enough to discern where you where. A blast of icy air across your skin told you that you had made it outside. You remembered faintly that you were the one who made the call to infiltrate in the wee hours of the morning, four a.m. local time. With that thought, you allowed yourself to fully succumb to the darkness at the edge of your vision.

“Reader! Stay with me, kid!” Soldier yelled as he sprinted to the dropship. You wanted to tell him you weren’t a kid, but you couldn’t even keep your eyes open. He shouted through the comms back to base for a healer. Winston, who was managing the comms for this mission, had sent for Ana, but Soldier felt she wasn’t moving nearly fast enough. There was little she could do, he knew that, but he was determined to keep you alive.

Soldier 76 had lost agents before, too many as far as he was concerned. This wasn’t the first time a rookie had nearly bled out in his arms, but he was determined to keep you alive. He wasn’t sure why he cared so much to begin with. For years he had given up all pretense of being a hero, a savior, but he couldn’t just let you die. Since when had you become so important to him? It was true, Soldier saw a lot of his younger self in you. You were idealistic, passionate, fiercely caring. You weren't afraid to stand up for those who could defend themselves. He also knew that he blamed himself for a lot of the events in your life. Even if you didn’t know it, it was his fault that you were injured in the explosion in Switzerland, it was his fault that you had basically thrown your life away for the recall, and it was his fault you were currently bleeding out from an enemy gunshot. Despite all of that, you still defended Jack Morrison, still believed he was a good man. Maybe it was because you didn't know what he had become. 

He sprinted into the dropship, gently placing your paling form on the cold metal floor. “Athena! Ready for take off! We’re leaving the second McCree gets here.” He shouted, not even looking up from where you lay. “Ana! Where are you goddammit?” He growled. Your breathing was becoming fainter and fainter, and the pained whimpers you had made while he ran had turned to raspy sounds that made his stomach flip. Soldier ripped the bottom hem of your shirt, wincing as he revealed the shrapnel scars on your abdomen, and pressed the fabric to the wound on your neck in an attempt to staunch the profuse bleeding. The blood was everywhere. It had spread throughout the top of your uniform, your hair, his jacket. The smell filled the air and if Soldier was a weaker man and not a hardened fighter, he would have gagged. He knew that his biotic fields wouldn’t be able to help you unless you were in a more stable condition, so he was saving them for a last resort.

“Jack,” Ana’s voice rang through the comm, “Winston said that reader had been shot. How bad is it?” Her voice was even and cool, maintaining order and professionalism.

“We were caught off guard by an enemy. He was aiming for her head, but shot the back of her neck instead. I can’t tell if her spinal cord is damaged, but her skull seems to be intact.” Jack delivered the facts like he always had. This was not the time to freeze up. “We’re taking off the second McCree gets here, but we need to get her stabilized fast. She’s lost a lot of blood.”

“I’m right there, boss. I’ve got the hard drives and I took care of the rest of those fuckers as I was leaving.” McCree's voice echoed through both the comm unit and a short distance from the dropship. Soldier heard the unmistakable sound of spurs and Jesse’s boots on the loading ramp. “Athena, get us back to base as fast as possible.” McCree ordered. There was a loud thump as he dropped the hard drives and ran to grab the medkit off the wall. Jack knew there was little in that kit that could help them. No one had stocked the first aid since the recall, and they didn’t have the supplies for any advanced medical equipment to leave the base.

McCree tossed aside IV kits, hypodermic needles, and feeble amounts of gauze, frustrated with the scarce supplies. “Ana, what can we do?” He asked, his voice betraying his aggravation. He grabbed a spray bottle from the kit and glared at the label.

“I’m afraid there isn’t much. Unless you can find a way to stop the bleeding and keep her heart beating, she won’t survive long enough to get back to base.” The steady tone in her voice seemed cold and unfeeling, but Jack and Jesse both knew her well enough to know that she was just as distressed as them. 

Jack glared at the scattered supplies. Suddenly, he tensed up. McCree looked at him, waiting for his next move. “Ana, what’s her blood type?” He demanded, grabbing the IV needles.

“Uuuh, looks like she’s A positive, but you don’t have any blood packs on the ship with you.” Ana responded.

“Shit. I can’t give her any either. I’m B positive.” Jesse growled and hit the side of the medkit.

“I’m gonna give her some of mine.” Jack tore open the needle’s packaging with his teeth. 

“JACK NO!” McCree and Ana shouted simultaneously. He ignored them.

“Who’s Jack?” You groaned weakly, catching everybody off guard.

“No one, Habibi. Please stay still.” Ana said comfortingly, her voice had shifted instantly, her motherly instincts never faded.

“McCree, keep pressure on the wound. Is there anything in that kit that can stop the bleeding.” At the sound of his name, McCree jolted back to attention. Pressing the bloodied cloth into place and rummaging through the various bottles in the medkit, looking for anything that could help.

“Jack, you can’t give her your blood and you know it. Those SEP chemicals are just as dangerous as a bullet. She could die.” Ana reprimanded the soldier sharply, back to her usual commanding self.

“She’ll die anyways if I don’t do anything. At least this way she has a chance to live.” Jack had already worked the needles into the IV line and was finding a vein in his arm.

“We have no clue what this will do to her. Are you prepared to deal with the consequences?” Ana asked.

“I’m prepared to do a lot if it means keeping her alive.” Jack muttered, pushing the other needle into your arm with little finesse. You whined at the added pain, but he placed a hand on your cheek to calm you.

“I’ve got something that will help.” McCree said as he shook up a spray bottle. He removed the blood-soaked scrap of shirt and began spraying the wound with the contents of the bottle. Your eyes flew open and you cried out, writhing in pain as the spray disinfected your wound. Soldier 76 tried his best to comfort you, stroking your hair and speaking to you softly, encouraging you. The spray foamed up on your wound, hissing as a reaction took place, then began to congeal into a gel-like substance that covered the entire area where you had been shot. As it hardened, it formed a layer that would keep blood from escaping.

“That didn’t sound good. What’s going on?” Ana questioned.

“Just sprayed the wound with some stuff I found. The bottle looked pretty old but it looks to be working just fine.” McCree responded.

Soldier sighed in relief once you had calmed down. “Good job, McCree. That should keep her stable for now.” The cowboy visibly relaxed. He dropped his head and took several deep breaths.

“But Jack, the chemicals in your blood-they could kill her too, couldn’t they?” He furrowed his brow.

“I have no clue. It’s been so many years since the program, they might not even have an effect on her at all. I’m hoping that if anything, they speed up the healing process.” He looked at the line that connected you to him, a deep red cord that extended from his arm to yours. Your face was still twisted in anguish, but your breathing had deepened in the last few minutes alone. McCree checked your pulse and reported that your heartbeat was faint, but not critically weak.

“We can move her to the table now probably.” McCree said after a minute of silence, “Get her out of all of this blood.” It was true. The three of you had been sitting in a pool of your blood, and there were still a few hours left before you arrived back at base.

“There’s not much more that I can do. I’ll put Winston back on. Angela and I will be ready to take her when you guys land, don’t worry.” Ana said.

“Wait. Ana-” Soldier began, but was interrupted.

“Jack, I’m still in my sleep clothes and several hundred miles away. There’s nothing more I can do to help for now.” Ana cut him off.

Jack hesitated before finally conceding, telling her to get some rest before the ship made it back to base. McCree lifted you off the floor, frowning at your cold temperature and the limpness of your limbs as he carried you to the table at the corner of the ship. Soldier walked beside you, ensuring that the blood transfusion wasn’t interrupted by the move.

McCree and Soldier sat across from each other, looking over your pale, near lifeless body. “Don’t think that I’m unappreciative of what you're doing. But why save her? Why go through all this trouble? I didn’t think you cared about anyone anymore.”

“Don’t patronize me, McCree. It’s my fault she got shot. I couldn’t live with myself if I just let her die.” Soldier grumbled. He may have been a super soldier, but giving you blood was starting to affect him. 

“Well that seems mighty selfish, don’t you think?” McCree snapped. “Only saving her so you don’t have to live with another dead agent on your hands, huh?” He crossed his arms and leaned back in the booth, leveling a glare in Jack’s direction.

“That’s not why and you know it. You're her friend, you can see why she's worth saving. She means just as much to me as she does to everyone else on base. I don’t see where you're going with this.” Soldier responded. His breathing was labored, and his skin was starting to pale.

“I’m just wondering why you decided to take responsibility for her life.” The cowboy sneered, his tone biting and caustic, “Since you ain't been doing much caring about people, you know?”

Soldier wanted to fight back, to raise his voice and make McCree understand, but he couldn’t. He was weak from blood loss and he didn’t want to yell and risk waking you. “I can’t explain it. Not right now. But if you must know, just understand that I-” He hesitated, struggling to express his emotions, “I care for Reader. She reminds me of who I once was, who I could have been. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like Jack. Like a good man.” He looked away. Even with the visor on, he couldn’t face McCree.

“Oh,” McCree said, not expecting that kind of answer, “Umm, Boss? You might not have much more blood left to give her. You're starting to look a little clammy.”

Jack removed the needle from his arm, and then the one from yours. “I think she’ll last until we get back to base.” He couldn’t stop himself from smoothing some blood soaked hair out of your face, intently watching your expression. Your brows were furrowed and your lips were pursed, so different from the welcoming expression you usually wore. He slumped back into the booth, drained in both a literal and figurative sense.

Time passed in silence for a long while. A false facade of comfort that used to exist between the Overwatch strike commander and the Blackwatch second in command fell over the ship, masking the tension and fear that lay just beneath the surface. Both men were startled, however, when you suddenly cried out and began convulsing. Your muscles tensed and you yelled out in pain.

“What is happening?” McCree demanded, reaching over the grab your arms and hold you steady, making sure not to jostle you too much. 

“I can’t be certain about anything, but her body might be reacting to the chemicals in my blood.” Soldier placed a hand on your cheek, trying to comfort you.

“What do we do? She’s not going to die, is she?” McCree was beginning to panic. You had made it so far, would you really die on him so close to base? He wasn’t sure he could lose you, not like this. 

“There's nothing for us to do. Her body has to decide whether or not to reject the chemicals. All we can do is try to calm her down and keep her from hurting herself.” Soldier was exhausted, still dizzy from blood loss. His heart ached a little, remembering Gabe’s seizures during SEP, remembering watching helplessly as the man suffered for hours. 

“Calm her down? Ok.” McCree leaned in close to you, holding you as still as your writhing form would allow, and began singing a low, solemn tune in Spanish. Jack recognized it instantly. 

“Is that-” He stuttered

“Gabes lullaby. Used to help me come down after I used deadeye, or when I had real bad panic attacks. It's the only thing I can think of.” He continued the song, and sure enough, you began to relax. Your face visibly softened and you slumped back to the table. McCree kept singing until he was sure you had settled down. Jack was paralyzed, a flood of memories and emotions washing over him in an unending assault. McCree must have noticed, but said nothing, just let Jack be as he worked through the flashbacks.

The dropship landed and it seemed as though time started moving again. Angela and Ana rushed a gurney up the ramp and, with the help of McCree, rushed your body to the medbay. Soldier tried his best to carry on, to act as normally as possible, but he found himself moving numbly, as though he was in a haze. Winston attempted to get his attention, but Soldier merely shook his head and walked to his quarters, instructing Athena to not let anyone bother him until you were out of surgery.


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader wakes up in the medbay and has to learn the truth about Soldier 76, and what his blood may do to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please let me know if there is anything you want to see as I dive into this story. I have a lot planned for Reader and Jack!

Consciousness did not return to you all at once. Breath wormed into your lungs and your mind gently informed you that you were awake and alive. Everything was darkness and pain at first, but slowly you found you could perceive your surroundings for short periods of time. You heard hushed and insistent voices whispering, the sound of medical equipment, a yell of frustration.   
Time passed in more darkness.   
How much, you weren’t certain, but the pain had lessened. You could move your fingers and shift your legs under the blankets. Your head turned and you felt every muscle in your face twist into a tight grimace as the wound in your neck pulled.   
The darkness folded around you again.   
Light pushed against your closed eyelids. You forced your eyes open and suddenly everything was too white, too bright. You blinked rapidly and turned this way and that, the pain in your neck now dulled. How long had you been here? The fluorescents overhead finally came into focus and you found that you could see clearly.  
You were tucked into one of the beds in the medbay, hooked up to entirely too much machinery and unbearably sore. You couldn’t see or hear anyone, so you figured you had a few minutes to yourself before Angela realized you were awake.  
Lifting your arms took entirely too much effort. Every muscle in your body burned with movement and you couldn’t help but groan a little. You tenderly reached to your neck and shoulder, prodding the wound you knew was there. From what you could tell the skin had healed over, but it felt rough and scarred. You trusted Angela, and you knew that she must have done everything in her power to heal you. Relief washed over you as you realized how much worse your situation could have been. The bullet had ripped through your neck, and from what you could tell you weren’t paralyzed and had no brain damage. God bless that woman. You would have to find a way to show your gratitude once she released you.

A few more moments passed in relative silence as you reacquainted yourself with your body. A strange sense of confusion and disorientation began growing in your chest. You didn’t remember anything that had happened after you got shot, and you found that something seemed...off?  
The monitor by your bed notified you that your heart rate was increasing. You began to panic. Had McCree and Soldier 76 made it out okay? Had you completed the mission objective? A million questions began to swirl in your mind and you were struggling to fight off the panic that was closing around your throat.

The sound of approaching footsteps rang through the medbay and Angela rushed around the privacy screen already speaking hurriedly into her comms.  
“-her heart is racing. I’m going to check on her now, but it might be another seizu-Oh! She’s awake!” Angela snapped off the comms and knelt by your side. “Liebling,” She placed a slender hand over yours, “You are alright. You are safe.” The doctor continued to soothe you, reassuring you until your breathing slowed and your eyes refocused.

“Are they okay?” You asked weakly, your voice raspy from disuse, “Are Soldier and McCree okay?”

“They’re fine.” Angela nodded, “They were uninjured, and McCree secured the objective at the Talon base. Do not worry yourself too much.” She rose and began looking at the monitors at your side. “I can give you more sedatives if you would like to go back to sleep?”

“No.” You shook your head vigorously, stopping abruptly and whimpering at the pain from your injury. “I want to know how I’m doing.” You steeled yourself, ready to argue with the doctor if she tried to put you back under. 

Angela sighed in defeat. She took a deep breath, hesitating before she began, “The bullet wound was a lucky miss for you. It was a low caliber sidearm that missed your spine and skull completely. I repaired as much of the muscle and tendon tissue as I could and grafted some temporary synth-skin over the wound. It will take a few more days to fully heal, but you should regain full mobility and experience no pain. I-” The doctor trailed off looking at the ground and shifting her weight nervously.

“Thank you Angela.” You reached out to her, tenderly wrapping your hand around her slender fingers. “I don't know what I can do to express how grateful I am for everything you do for us.” You tried to meet her eyes but she avoided your gaze, staring intently at the tiled floor. “What's wrong?” You asked, your brow furrowed, “I feel fine-for the most part-and you said I would make a full recovery. What are you not telling me?”

The air in the room seemed to still as you watched the doctor intently. You had seen her nervous and frustrated before, but this was different. She appeared… conflicted, but you weren't sure what about. “Angela?” You asked, concern evident even in your weak and fatigued voice.

“It’s not my place to say,” She searched for the right words, “but you must know something else. I- I don’t know if I should-” 

“Habibi! You are awake!” She was interrupted by Ana, who approached your bedside with a look of tenderness and concern. 

“Commander Amari!” You exclaimed. Reaching out to take the woman's hand, feeling her rough, aged skin comfortingly stroke your knuckles.

“Please child, just call me Ana.” She smiled warmly and you couldn’t help yourself as you returned the expression. “I will send Jesse by with some soup later; he’s been anxious to see you.”

You suddenly realized that you weren't sure how long you had been asleep. It felt like several days had passed, but you couldn't be sure exactly how many. “How long have I been asleep?” 

“Four days.” Angela replied, looking intently at your charts. “The first few hours were after you got out of surgery were very rough, but these past two days were mostly uneventful.”

“Four days.” You repeated confusedly, unsure how to feel about having lost four days. “Angela, what were you going to tell me earlier?” You questioned the doctor. Ana’s arrival hadn’t stopped you from wondering what Angela was so hesitant to say.

It was Ana who spoke up. “On the dropship, on the way back to base, you had lost a lot of blood. The medkits on the ships aren't stocked and it was necessary to stabilize you. You would have died if they didn't act quickly, so… Soldier 76 gave you a field transfusion.” She finished quickly, as though she was confessing a kind of wrongdoing. You didn't understand the secrecy. Sure, 76 was an intimidating man, but you weren't angry that he had saved your life. If anything, you wanted to thank him.

“Oh,” You breathed, surprised yet relieved, at least you weren't dying. “I’m really grateful that he would do that.” You were in a state of shock. Soldier 76? Saving your life? “Is there a particular reason you were withholding this information from me?”

The two women looked at each other, not even addressing you. “Should I go get him?” Ana asked. Angela merely nodded in response, her expression tense and focused.

“Get him?” You demanded. “Will you please tell me what's going on?” 

Ana turned to leave but froze as she turned around the privacy screen.

“I’m here. There's no need to come get me.” A gruff, tired voice spoke. “Athena told me she was awake.”

Ana stepped back into the room followed by the imposing silhouette of Soldier 76. You couldn't help the tiny spark of fear that settled in your stomach. He was likely here to berate you for your carelessness. Your inattentiveness had jeopardized the mission and you knew he was disappointed in you. If you hadn’t been so irresponsible he wouldn't have had to bleed for you. Several seconds passed in silence. You were glad Angela had silenced the monitors because your heart was racing in anticipation. Everyone's attention was divided between you and the soldier, waiting for one of you to speak first.

“How are you feeling?” Soldier finally asked. Out of the corner of your eye, Angela visibly relaxed.

“I’m fine. Thanks to you and Doctor Zeigler.” You smiled at Angela before turning back to 76. Your initial fear had subsided. You were certain that if he tried to yell, Ana would defend you.

“Can I speak to her alone?” He asked Angela. Shit. Angela turned to you.

“Are you okay with that?” She asked. You knew she would stay if you asked. She would even make Soldier leave if you requested, but you knew that it would be better to just face it. You had made a mistake, and now you had to deal with the consequences. You nodded. Angela patted your hand, “I will be right outside.” She looked pointedly at 76 before turning back you. “Let me know if you need anything.” She left, and both of you turned to Ana, who was staring at the soldier with crossed arms and a stern expression. Somehow, without speaking, she communicated a message to Soldier that you couldn't figure out. She patted your leg before turning to go herself. As she passed Soldier, she placed a firm hand on his shoulder. Another silent conversation seemed the transpire between the two before she sighed and left.

The two of you were alone, yet no one spoke for nearly a minute. You stared worriedly at Soldier’s visor, waiting for harsh admonition, but none came. The impassive man just stood, his visor leaving you wondering whether he was even looking your way. You finally spoke first.

“I’m sorry.” Your voice was meek and quiet. You hated that you sounded so weak when you were trying to be mature and own up to your mistakes. Soldier flinched, surprised.

“Why are you sorry for, agent? You’ve done nothing wrong.” He stepped forward into the room and sat in the chair by your bed. His posture gave away just how exhausted he was, his shoulders slumped and his head falling forwards.

“I was careless.” You insisted, “I wasn’t paying attention and I endangered the mission.” 

“Agent, you can’t blame yourself for what happened.” Soldier’s words were candid and adamant, “Sometimes things go wrong. It just happens. I had to learn that a long time ago.” 

“Then why does it look like you blame yourself?” You asked. He tensed. “You're being a hypocrite, telling me not to feel guilty because bad things just happen sometimes, yet you walk around like every bad thing that happens in the world is your fault.”

“It might as well be that way.” He retorted and you let out a bark of laughter, wincing a little as your injury protested the exertion.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” You scoffed. A hissing noise drew your attention and you glanced at the soldier to see that he was removing his visor. You inhaled sharply, unsure of what to do. You had known Soldier 76 for months now, trained alongside him and worked with him to figure out what actually happened at the Swiss base on the day of the explosion. Sure, you had wondered about who he was under the visor, but you had never really thought he would tell you. 76 was an intensely private man and you respected that. As he began to pull the visor away from his face you wondered why he would show you now.

He lowered his hand, revealing his face to you for the first time, and you froze. Suddenly, everything made sense: the secrecy, the guilt, his interest in the old Overwatch. Soldier 76 was Strike Commander Jack Morrison. Jack Morrison had saved your life. He looked at you with tired blue eyes, gray stubble dusting his jaw. Two diagonal scars split his sharp features and you wondered if he had gotten them during the explosion, just like yours.You were frozen, unsure of what to do. You couldn't help the blush that was creeping into your features, betraying your embarrassment at the situation. He must have noticed, though, because the corner of his mouth twitched up into a slight smirk. You buried your face in your hands.

“Oh my god,” You groaned into your palm. “This is so embarrassing.” 

“Why is it embarrassing?” He asked, clearly not expecting your reaction.

“For months I’ve been talking about the old Overwatch, gushing about the high command, telling everyone how great Commander Morrison was and you were right there the whole time.” Your face was beet red, you knew it. Suddenly, you realized something else and buried your face back into your hands. “And everyone else knew! Didn’t they? That's how Ana recognized you! They already knew you weren't dead and that you’ve been here the whole time! I'm such an idiot!” You peeked up to see that Morrison was smiling. Smiling! 

“Don’t beat yourself up about it, agent. At first, it was strange, hearing someone talk about me like that. You spoke so fondly of me, even though you knew what I had done, even though you thought I was dead. It was kind of cute. And… it reminded me of who I was, of what I used to fight for.” His gaze was intense, piercing. You remembered the way Morrison used to look on the holovids, young, hopeful, but always with the same intense look in his eyes. You realized that his eyes revealed the truth of what he had seen, the horrors he had faced. “I came back to Overwatch to try and fix things. To undo what I had done. I intended to keep my identity a secret. I didn't want anyone to know that I was still alive, that I had become what I am. But they figured it out. They were my family-still are. It would have been impossible to hide it from them forever.”

“Why? Why are you telling me? I'm just a recruit, a rookie. I don't deserve to know your secret.” You looked down at your hands. It was flattering that Soldier-no, Commander Morrison would trust you with his secret, but you couldn’t help but feel that he was only acting out of pity. You had almost died, and he had been forced to save your life. You didn't deserve to know his identity; you weren't worthy.

“Don’t talk like that! You are worthy, always have been. I was just too weak to face you, to take responsibility for your past. I couldn't help but be afraid that you would hate me for what I've done to you.” He looked away, hurt and guilt clear in his expressive eyes.

“I could never hate you. Haven’t you learned that? We’re so close to finding out the truth. We can figure out what happened to Commander Reyes!” Your voice was earnest. Jack Morrison was alive. Maybe, just maybe, Reyes had survived as well. Commander Morrison flinched, and you realized that you had struck a nerve. He took a deep breath before turning back to face you. You couldn't look away from his face. It was no secret on base that you admired Commander Morrison. His death had affected you greatly. You had mourned him. Sure, you had never met the man, never been close to him like Ana or Lena, but he had always been a symbol of hope to you, a beacon of truth and justice. Here he was, after years, sitting next to your hospital bed, his blood in your veins. You almost couldn’t believe it.

“Look, agent. There is a reason why I’m telling you now. You have a right to know about the consequences of my actions on the dropship.” He sighed heavily before continuing. “I don’t regret saving your life. If I had to go back I would do it again, a thousand times over. But because of what I did, what I am, you will have to pay the price.” He seemed so tormented, so anguished, and you couldn’t understand why. He said he didn’t regret saving you, but he spoke so gravely. He must have seen the look of bewilderment on your face because he attempted to clarify, “When I was a young man, I was a part of the US Soldier Enhancement Program. The government chemically altered my body to make me faster, stronger, more agile. It’s been years, but those chemicals are still in my body, in my blood.” You gasped in understanding, your eyes widening as you realized what he was saying. “When I gave you the transfusion, I had hoped that my blood would speed up your healing, keep you alive until we got to base. I had no way of knowing what would happen though, and it was a risky call to make.”

“But I’m alive.” You told him. “It worked. I’m still alive and Angela said I’ll be just fine.” He seemed so distraught about what he had done, but everything had turned out okay. You didn’t understand why he was so upset. “Does this mean I’ll be a super soldier now?” you asked half joking.

“That’s what the problem is, agent. We don’t know how the chemicals are going to affect you. Your body may reject them and that could very well kill you. I’ve seen it before.” His voice fell.

“In the program..” You began, not really knowing what to ask or say.

“A lot of good soldiers died. The injections were horrible. Gabe and I just barely survived it seemed.” Commander Morrison looked pained; talking about the past was clearly painful for him. “Angela ran some tests, and she thinks-if your body doesn’t fight the serums-that you’ll experience milder forms of those symptoms.” Those blue eyes turned back to your face. They seemed to be pleading for something. Forgiveness?

It was several moments before you spoke again. You were struggling to process so much information at once. Soldier 76 had saved your life. Soldier 76 was Jack Morrison. You had Jack Morrison's blood in your veins. That blood may kill you. 

“Okay.” You said, meeting his eyes with a resolute expression.

“Okay?” He repeated dumbly.

“What else can I say? I’m extremely grateful that you saved me, and I’m not angry that your blood might make me sick or kill me. I should have died back there, and worst case scenario, you’ve just bought me a few more days. There’s nothing we can do to stop or change what’s happening, so I’m prepared to deal with it, I guess.” You shrugged despite the pain in your neck. If Soldier- Commander Morrison was going to fret over the situation, then you would have to be the voice of reason. “Can you call Angela back in here? I want to know what I should expect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much! I will try to update Mavericks in the next few weeks! Also, please let me know if I should make a tumblr for my fics. I'm open to taking requests and talking about overwatch lore and sad dads. I'm also considering setting up a Patreon because I am a broke college student.


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Reader has to deal with the side effects of receiving Soldier's blood. Luckily, the man is willing to help her through her struggles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for supporting this fic! I really enjoy writing for this story and I'm glad everyone seems to enjoy reading it!

You were confined to bed rest for several days while your shoulder healed and while Angela determined whether or not Morrison’s blood would kill you. You had plenty of visitors stop by to keep you company. Hana and Lucio, who couldn't know about your blood transfusion, stopped by every so often to update you on the happenings on base. You appreciated their company as well as Ana’s and McCree’s who also visited frequently. You used that time to pester them with constant questions about the old Overwatch and about Commander Morrison. Now that you knew that Morrison was still alive and fighting among you they seemed much more forthcoming with information. You were glad that everyone came to visit, even Winston who tended to avoid the medbay at all costs, but there were still long stretches of your day when you were lying alone, your mind racing too fast for you to sleep.

Angela seemed to work nonstop the first few days. She drew blood samples every few hours at first, trying to determine the potency of the SEP chemicals in your blood. She constantly watched your temperature and heart rate, rushing to your side if anything seemed off. You tried to assure her that you felt fine for the most part. Every muscle in your body was sore and you were definitely fatigued, but you didn't feel like you were going to keel over anytime soon. The doctor ignored your protests, constantly entering your numbers into her datapad and guzzling coffee like her life depended on it. 

Your injury had fully healed by the time she released you back to your quarters. Angela seemed to relax a little as she looked at your chart.  
“You haven't had a seizure since waking up. The wound on your neck healed faster than expected which means the SEP chemicals are probably affecting your cell regeneration. It was hard for me to test but I would estimate that less than 8% of your blood has been affected.” She looked at you intensely. “I can't say anything for certain, but it looks as though you are going to survive.”

You smiled and thanked the doctor. Glad to be able to move around base freely again. As much as you enjoyed Ana’s soup, you were ready for a real meal. Your legs were unsteady as Angela helped you to your room.  
“You won’t be cleared for training or lab work for at least another week. And don’t even think about going on another mission until Jack and I have ensured you are fit to be out on the field.”

You stared at her blankly. “Why can’t I go back to the lab?” You understood not being able to train or go out on missions, but what was stopping you from helping out Winston and Mei with research? “I’d at least be useful there. It’s pointless to have e sitting around here doing nothing.”

“This is about your health, darling. It’s much better that you take it easy and make a full recovery than push yourself too hard.” She placed a firm, yet consoling hand on your shoulder. You pouted. What were you going to do for the next several days? Surely you would go stir crazy with nothing to keep you busy. “It won’t be that bad.” Angela reassured you, “Jack will probably stop by in a little while. Call me if you need anything. Even if it doesn’t seem severe, let me know. Your situation is… precarious.” With that, Angela left, leaving you alone for the first time in over a week.

You lay down on your bed, feeling every one of your muscles protest in some way or another. You hadn’t really told Angela the extent of your symptoms for the past few days. In your mind, nothing was too severe and you figured that it would be best if you just got out of the medbay as fast as possible. You hadn’t told Angela how much your muscles ached, how much your head hurt and your stomach twisted. The pain was constant but dull, and you hoped it would pass in a few days.

“Athena, lights 15 percent please.” You called to your empty room. The lights dimmed and you instantly felt some of the pressure relieve in your temples. Your stomach growled, but you felt too nauseous to even think about eating. You hoped that sleeping would stave off the hunger and pain for a few hours.

You rested in the quiet darkness for several minutes. But before you could fall asleep, the door opened. The bright light from the hallway streamed into your room and you groaned involuntarily. The door shut a second later and you couldn’t tell if the person had stepped inside or left.

“Agent,” A gruff voice called out softly. You turned and squinted your eyes to see the large silhouette of Soldier 76, the red light from the visor illuminating the room.

“Commander Morrison,” You greeted weakly, “Angela let me go.” Your pathetic smile was never going to convince this man that you were healthy enough to return to active duty.

“Does she know that you’re lying in the dark, with a migraine, starving.” The soldier questioned, an unusually light tone in his voice.

“No, She doesn’t. And I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell her.” You made an attempt at sitting upright, despite the pounding in your head. “Did you come here just to patronize me, sir?” You questioned, unable to keep the irritation out of your voice.

“No, I came to see if I could help.”

Your head shot up so fast the world spun. “Excuse me?” You stared at the commander in disbelief.

“I feel responsible for making you suffer like this. And I’m the only one on base who has experience with the SEP chemicals. I want to help you get through this.” He sat down on your desk chair, which usually was unused except for storing laundry.

“No offense, sir, but I don’t want your pity. If you’re just going to treat me like an absolution project then you can leave.” You winced at the harshness of your words. Normally you were more respectful, but the pain you were in was really making it hard to be polite. Morrison seemed visibly hurt by your words.

“Agent, it’s not like that. I know how much those chemicals hurt. I’ve been where you are. Please let me help you. It’s not worth it to suffer through this alone.” His words felt genuine, even through the visor you could hear the sincerity with which he spoke. His shoulders were hunched, and though you couldn’t see his eyes you imagined the intensity of his gaze.

“Alright,” You conceded, “Is there a way to lower the brightness on that thing?” You gestured to his visor. He chuckled and you were surprised when he simply removed the device, setting it carefully on the desk. You were suddenly glad the lights were low because you knew a blush was creeping up your neck. You couldn’t help yourself from being starstruck, even though it was kind of ridiculous. You were even more surprised when Commander Morrison began removing his gloves, placing them on the desk as well. He approached the bed with measured steps, kneeling in front of where you were sitting over the edge.

“When was the last time you ate?” He asked, his voice taking on a more gentle tone.

“I- I had soup yesterday afternoon.” You answered honestly, a tone of shame in your admission.

“That’s ok. We’ll find something for you in a little bit.” He placed the back of his hand across your forehead to feel your temperature, apologizing profusely when you flinched away from the contact. “You’re not feverish right now, but that kind of thing can change really quickly. Let me know if you suddenly feel too hot or too cold.”

“I was dealing with that last night. One minute my teeth were chattering then the next I was drenched in sweat.” You supplied.

“It sucks I know, unfortunately, there’s not a way to get rid of that one.” Soldier said regretfully. “But Gabe and I figured out some ways to deal with the worst of it.” The older man chuckled to himself; a sad, faraway look in his blue eyes. 

“I- I forgot that Commander Reyes was also in the program.” You said lamely, awkwardly looking down to your socks. You weren’t sure how comfortable Morrison was with talking about his past.

“We were roommates actually.” His expression seemed to deepen as he reminisced, complex emotions swimming in his endless irises.

“Oh my god, you were roommates.” You repeated dumbfoundedly. Of course, Reyes and Morrison were so close. You remembered the holovids from the crisis, the camaraderie, and trust between the two soldiers.

A moment of silence filled the room as both of you struggled to find words. Soldier finally stood.

“I’m gonna go grab you something light from the kitchens, you need to eat a little bit.” You watched quietly as he put his visor and gloves back on and left the room. Laying back on the bed and staring at the ceiling after the door closed behind him.

Soldier dug around in the pantry for several minutes, looking for crackers and some of Ana’s tea. He couldn’t help but hesitate before returning to your room. What if you were right? Was he using you as a personal redemption? Were you nothing more to him than a pet project? He knew that couldn’t be true. He cared about you. Everyone on base did. Even before you knew Jack Morrison was alive and among those of you at Gibraltar, you spoke of him with such admiration. You saw him as the man he used to be, as the man he wanted to be again. You were his chance to make things right, but you were also more than that. You were an inspiration, a hope.

You were also suddenly freezing cold. In the few minutes, Morrison was away your body had become racked by chills. You had wrapped yourself in blankets but nothing could stave off the seemingly inescapable cold. There was nothing you could do to stop it, so you tried to focus on just waiting for the agony to pass. The blank wall stared back at you with resolution as your teeth chattered uncontrollably.

The sound of the door sliding open should have come as a great relief, but you couldn’t find the strength to feel comforted as Commander Morrison set a mug of warm tea on your bedside table alongside a sleeve of saltines. The sound of his visor being placed back on your desk warned you that he intended to stay for a little while longer, though there was no way you could hold a conversation through your constant shivering. You were even more surprised when you felt the side of the bed sink under his weight. Meeting his eyes you couldn’t help but still for half a second. Vigilante Soldier 76, Strike Commander Jack Morrison of Overwatch, was sitting on your unmade bed while your body waged war against itself. You couldn’t help but feel undeserving of his care, even though you knew it was his decision that put you in this position, his decision that had saved your life.

Very slowly, as though he were reaching for a stray animal, he placed his hand on your cheek, feeling the constant movement of your jaw as your teeth chattered. He brushed your hair away from your face, where it had been plastered down with clammy sweat. It felt strange to be in such a vulnerable position with this man. Commander Morrison had always been a hero to you, an untouchable and distant dream of victory and justice. Yet here you had no choice but to trust him as he cared for you. You watched him, silent and shivering, as he stroked your hair. His eyes regarded you with a painfully sincere expression and you felt exposed under his gaze. You weren’t sure what he was thinking, what he was seeing, but you realized that you could trust him. That you felt safe in his protection both on and off the field.

The soothing sensation of his calloused hands across your temple lulled you into a sleep you didn’t think would come.

When you woke you were alone again. Your desk was barren once again and the tea by your pillow had long gone cold. There were no windows in your room so you couldn’t discern what time it was, but you knew you had been out for a while.

Your head no longer pounding, the pain of hunger overwhelmed you, and you dove for the saltines. Your stomach hadn’t stopped twisting in several days, but with enough willpower, you had managed to keep down the soup and oatmeal Angela and Ana insisted you eat. You gulped at the tea to wash down the dryness of the crackers and smacked your lips to escape the musty taste of sleep. Once you had sated your hunger, you made an attempt to get out of bed. Your muscles protested the exertion, but you managed to stumble to your bureau and collect a clean change of clothes.

The obnoxiously bright glow of your datapad informed you that it was 05:34. You had slept for almost 12 hours and this actually was a pretty good time to start your day. Even if you couldn’t officially train or work in the lab you were sure you could find something to keep you busy.

The warm water of the showers soothed your aching muscles, and you were pleased to find that, even cold, the tea had really helped your uneasy stomach. Wandering the halls of Gibraltar had never felt so satisfying until after having been confined to the medbay for over a week. You knew it was probably chilly outside, but you couldn't resist the urge to walk out to the coast and watch the sunrise.   
As you walked out to the cliffs edge behind one of the external modules near the launchpad you noticed a figure in the early morning light. The telltale orange dot of a cigar and unmistakable silhouette of a wide-brimmed hat identified the early bird before he could even call out to you.

“Nice to see you're back on your feet again.” McCree drawled as you came to sit on the ground by his feet. You idly reached out to spin one of his ridiculous spurs as the sound of the ocean filled the morning air.

“Angela finally released me yesterday, though it seems to me she’s convinced I could keel over at any second.” Blades of grass brushed your fingers, signs of nature filling in for five years of inactivity at the base. “Are you awake early? Or did you just stay up through the night?” You asked. No one on base had anything resembling a regular sleep schedule, but McCree had always been a night owl. He didn’t sleep much at all really; but of course, the only reason you knew that was because you were also awake at odd hours.

“I got a little bit of shut-eye a few hours ago,” He assured you, “Trained for a little while, skimmed over some intel.” Another long inhale of the cigar, his free hand found the top of your head and ruffled your unkempt hair. “What’s it like being a super soldier?” You could hear the grin in his question.

“Horrible so far. I always feel sick or sore or hot or cold.” You whined, leaning back into his touch, “I wanna skip to the part where I’m hot and strong.” He chuckled, low and warm.

The sun began to emerge from below the distant waves, the sky bleeding with pink and orange. Waves pushed up against the shore below you with more color now, and you basked in the nascent, golden glow.

A sharp pain in your side dragged your attention away from the view. You gasped in pain and clutched at your chest, caught off guard by the sudden burn. Your eyes flew to Jesse, pleading for some kind of help as you groaned and folded into yourself.

“Oh, shit,” He dropped down beside you. He reached to pick you up but you cried out and swatted his arm away. “Do you want me to go get Angela?” Without waiting for a reply he started off in that direction. You grabbed his boot before he could get too far, shaking your head vigorously.

“Jack.” You groaned weakly, “Get Jack.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'm really excited for where this fic is going! I would also love to take requests if anyone has a pairing or premise they want to see! I'll probably be updating Mavericks in the next week or so before my final exams come up, so be on the lookout for that!


	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader finally finds some relief from the SEP chemicals and manages to catch up with some friends!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ten thousand words in and I finally decided to move things along! Poor Jack is such a sad dad. I'm also super excited because Fivetail said that Misconduct might be getting an update in the next couple of weeks!

The pain in your chest was sharp and constant. As McCree’s footsteps faded away you considered that it might have been a better idea to call for Angela, but you knew the doctor would make a huge deal out of everything that went wrong. Morrison was more level-headed about your situation. He had been through this before. You couldn’t do anything to alleviate the pain, so you lay on the ground, clutching your side and hoping that McCree and Soldier would hurry up.  
You didn’t think you were going to die. The pain in your chest, crippling and obnoxious as it was, didn’t seem to be indicative of anything fatal. You hoped that Soldier would be able to do something to ease your suffering. As much as you questioned the older man’s intentions, you were grateful that he was willing to help you, and his experience with the SEP program was going to be invaluable in helping you survive these next few days.

The shock of the past week still hadn’t worn off. You had mostly come to terms with getting shot. You were a fighter now. You had chosen to fight on the front lines, and you knew the consequences of that decision. Winston and Soldier had been grave, yet supportive, these past months by pushing you harder in training than you ever thought possible. It was by sheer luck that your carelessness in the field hadn’t endangered anyone but yourself, and you resolved to never make a mistake like that again.  
The real surprise was that you survived the whole ordeal. Somewhere in the haze of pain and blood loss, you had resigned yourself to an honorable death fighting for a better world. It had sucked, but you had come to terms with it. Waking up in the med bay was unexpected, but wonderful. You realized instantly how many things you wanted to do before you actually bit the dust.  
Finding out that your life had been saved by none other than the impassive Soldier 76 was almost as jarring as being alive. Finding out that Soldier 76 was actually Strike Commander Jack Morrison blew those two experiences out of the water. How long had you looked up to him? How many fervent tirades had you gone on defending the honor of a dead man? How many of those fervent tirades did he hear? It was no secret on base that you wished to vindicate the old Overwatch high command. Apparently, it was a secret that most of the Overwatch high command was alive and well, and uncaring of their tarnished reputations.

The sound of footsteps on the concrete filled you with hope. You could make out the distinct jingle of spurs against the heavy thud of combat boots. Their pace was hurried and you were thankful for the swift arrival. With much agony, you turned to stare up at Morrison and McCree. The Commander was not wearing his usual jacket, but rather just a black tee shirt and a pair of dark jeans. If it weren’t for the iconic visor, you might have mistaken him for a regular civilian. He usually wandered around base almost fully dressed out in tac gear, or at least his jacket and gloves. He knelt beside you, assessing your situation behind the emotionless glass of his visor.

“Can you walk?” Morrison asked. You nodded, but the second you moved upright you let out a groan of pain. Stubborn as always, you pushed Morrison's and Jesse’s helping hands away and staggered to your feet. Your head was spinning, but you weren’t about to admit helplessness. Not when you had just been released from the medbay. You prayed Angela wouldn’t find out about this. She would strap you down to the hospital bed for sure, for sure. Your mind wandered for a second; suddenly, being strapped to a bed by Angela didn’t seem like a terrible idea, but the equally terrifying thought of Fareehas biceps put that idea to rest pretty quickly. A grimace of pain washed over your features, instantly killing whatever mood your mind had conjured up.

“No offense, darlin’,” McCree remarked “But you don’t look like you’ll be walkin’ more than 20 feet. Just let me carry you?” He outstretched his arms.

“I’ve got her.” Soldier snapped, lifting you with ease without waiting for your confirmation. You didn’t notice how quickly he had acted, or how McCree’s eyes widened in momentary surprise before a knowing smile spread across his features.

You protested weakly the whole way back inside, insisting that you could care for yourself despite not being able to stand. Your near belligerence was nothing but amusing to McCree, who patted your head patronizingly and cleared space on the couch in the rec room for Soldier to lay you down. “You would give ole Reaper a run for his money, as difficult as you’re being’” He joked. “‘S a good thing Jack is a professional in that field, eh?” McCree nudged the vigilante.

“If you don’t shut up I’m gonna knock out your teeth, McCree.” Soldier barked, “Go get some painkillers from Ana.” He shook his head as Jesse left the room, revealing that he wasn’t as angry as he appeared. You turned your head as Morrison knelt by where you lay on the couch.

“What’s going on, sweetie?” His voice was unusually gentle, though still deep and rough. You couldn’t help but freeze at the term of endearment. It seemed so strange coming from behind the impassive visor of a ruthless commander. Why was this man being so kind to you? Was it just because he felt responsible for your life? You wondered if this was a glimpse at the old Jack Morrison. The kind man, too idealistic for his own good.

“My chest,” You clutched at your ribcage, as if that would alleviate your suffering, “It’s a sharp pain, -hurts more when I breathe in.” You lay back, breathing shallowly.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to get Angela?” Morrison asked, concern clear in his voice. You stayed silent, both because speaking caused you great pain and because you weren’t sure if you did want to get Angela. Morrison didn’t press the issue any further, simply watching your condition while you waited for McCree to return.

Unsurprisingly, Ana was with McCree when he returned. She had with her a vial of biotic fluid among a few other items. You grinned weakly as she regarded your sorry state. The furrow of her brow and disapproval in her gaze made your stomach twinge a little. Disappointing Ana was something you actively tried to avoid, and you hoped she wasn’t upset with you.

“ _Habibi_ ,” She began, “Are you really going to try and hide your symptoms from Angela Ziegler?” The older healer procured a syringe and filled it with a few CC’s of the glowing yellow solution.

“I’m sure as hell going to try.” You smirked, “Even if I get a few days out of that godawful med bay then I’ll have succeeded. Not many can dupe the great doctor.” McCree chuckled at your smugness and even Morrison shook his head in disbelief.  
“Would you guys do me a favor and not rat me out? This kind of deception is going to require some trustworthy accomplices.” Your breathing evened out almost instantly as Ana injected the biotic fluid into your upper arm. She patted your shoulder reassuringly.

“I won’t tell Angela about this. But if your condition worsens, I will take matters into my own hands.” Ana crossed her arms with a stern expression and you nodded obediently. Commander Amari was not one to be trifled with.

Feeling revitalized by the numbing agent in the biotic fluid, you pulled yourself to your feet and leaned against the arm of the couch. You had a whole day ahead of you and you weren’t about to lose it to these ridiculous chemicals. Just because you couldn’t train or work in the lab didn’t mean you weren’t able to be productive.

“I’m gonna go to the old office.” You declared determinately, “Now that I know more about the old Overwatch I can probably make more sense out of those old files.” You waited for someone to say something. You knew they probably didn’t approve of you digging around on the old hard drives, but the three remained silent. They watched you as you started off towards the office.

The old office was a small filing room back by the servers on Gibraltar. You had discovered it in your first few weeks on base but hadn’t thought of the space as anything important. At some point in the last few months, you had started using the room as a quiet place to relax and listen to music. It wasn’t until you logged on to the hard drive, left from the days before the fall of Overwatch, that you realized how valuable that space was to you. After the passing of the PETRAS act, most of the information stored on Overwatch servers was wiped or quarantined. The hard drive in this dingy office had somehow been overlooked in the data purge and still had a ton of old files saved. You had taken to sifting through the data in your free time, poring over years of correspondences between officers and dignitaries to decipher what led up to the explosion at the Swiss headquarters.

With your newly acquired knowledge of Overwatch’s last active years, the information left on the hard drive was easier to understand. The UN had been breathing down Commander Morrison’s neck for months before the Blackwatch leaks, but Morrison had defended Reyes at every turn. The media had painted the two as enemies; Reyes, consumed by jealousy, attacked Morrison and took down Overwatch for revenge. You hadn’t believed it then and now you were certain it was a lie. Everyone on base assured you that Reyes and Morrison were still close friends in the months leading up to the explosion. 

Your research was interrupted by Lena at one point, who popped into the office and check up on you. She was elated that you seemed to be feeling better, and you didn’t have the heart to tell her just how much the SEP chemicals sucked. She helped to answer a few of your questions about the documents on the old hard drive, always supportive and enthusiastic. You wound up eating lunch with her, where you were accosted by Hana and Lucio. Hana teased you about your long recovery time but was sympathetic when you told her you were confined to base for several weeks.

“Awww!” She bemoaned, “But at least we can hang out together! Winston still hasn’t said anything about putting me in the field and I’m thinking about just stowing away on a dropship if he doesn’t ship me out soon.” You consoled Hana and her restlessness, assuring her that you would remind Winston about her field status the next time you saw him.

You were glad to be able to spend quality time with your friends after a week of being imprisoned in the med bay. Lunch turned into a game of cards which escalated to a PvP couch battle in “Fighters of the Storm” which of course Hana won because she held a top ten title in South Korea for an arcade tournament. By the afternoon your face hurt from smiling so much and your sides were sore from laughter. You watched as Lena desperately tried to beat Lucio, cheering her on as she tried to use speed to outmatch an innate sense of rhythm.

Lucio’s and Tracer’s comms beeped simultaneously. The game was halted, and you and Hana pouted as they jogged to the lab to see what Winston wanted of them.

“So, how have you really been doing?” Hana asked out of the blue. She was an extremely observant girl, and, even though you couldn’t tell her about Morrison and the SEP chemicals, she was bound to know something was up. She nudged your arm and looked at you with her head cocked to the side. You gave up on trying to act like nothing was bothering you.

“These next few weeks are going to be rough.” You skated around the truth, trying to confide in your friend and also respect the privacy of Commander Morrison. “The gunshot wound was… more serious than we originally thought. I’m not allowed to go out on missions, or train, or work in the lab, until Angela is satisfied that I’m all healed up.” You groaned at the thought of being _useless_ on base and threw your head back in frustration.

“I’m sorry.” Hana apologized, furrowing her eyebrows. Her pity swiftly transformed into determination and she punched your arm. “You should hurry up and get cleared for training!” She exclaimed, “Just like, chug a bunch of orange juice or something. Shooting bots always makes me feel better.”

You smiled at her buoyancy and promised to magically recover so the two of you could go back to training together. “Comman- Soldier 76 has been helping me out with the pain and stuff.” You winced at your mistake, knowing that Hana would notice. “It’s actually really weird because he never really talks to _anyone_ on base.”

“That is really weird.” The streamer affirmed. “Also, I figured he was probably U.S. military, but was he really a commander?” Hana leaned in closer, “Do you know his name? What does he look like? He’s probably only helping you because you’re hot and he likes you.”

“HANA!” You shrieked. “That is so inappropriate!” Pushing the girl away, you buried your face in your hands. Where did she get these crazy ideas? You tried to escape her questions, avoiding any answers by playfully whacking her with one of Ana’s ridiculous throw pillows. The two of you, squealing like children and teasing each other, were only interrupted by McCree wandering in a few minutes later.

“Jesse,” You smiled when you saw him “Where you in Winston’s meeting?”

“Yeah,” He replied, obnoxiously falling onto the couch in between you and Hana, forcibly separating you two. “He’s sending me to Volskaya Headquarters, while Lena, Lucio, and Genji get to go to Ilios. I’m from the desert! Why do they always send me to Russia?!” He complained.

“Back in the field so soon?” You found yourself asking before you could stop yourself.

“It’s been a week and a half, kiddo.” McCree reminded you.

“Right, I was unconscious for most of that. Forgot.”

“Why don’t I get to go to Ilios?!” Hana whined.

“See! Even you don’t wanna go to Russia, and you’d give just about anything to get off this base.” McCree exclaimed. 

“Why are you guys such children?” You asked teasingly. McCree just harrumphed and crossed his arms.  
“When do you leave?” Your voice was small, weaker than you wanted. Jesse was a good friend, and you wished he could be here while you dealt with this SEP shit. But you figured it was an important mission if he was going solo to Volskaya.

“I’m about to go grab my gear and then I’m flying out as soon as Athena has a transport ready for me.” He wrapped you in a quick hug. “I thought I’d stop by and let you know I was headin’ out though.”

You nodded, thankful for his consideration. He gave you another quick hug before heading out to grab his gear. Hana left a few minutes later to see off the Ilios strike team, and you found yourself with too much free time on your hands. Despite the fiasco earlier in the day, you felt fine. You entertained the thought that you wouldn’t have to deal with any more symptoms and Angela would clear you for duty in just a few days. The armory and lab were off limits to you until then, leaving you with nothing to do but twiddle your thumbs while everyone else fought for world peace and unity.

Considering that your morning appreciation of the sunrise had been ruined, you decided instead to enjoy the sunset at Gibraltar. As you climbed the stairs to the roof of the radar array, you resolved to go down to the coast one day and enjoy a lazy day on the beach. A good section of the beach was still blocked off as Overwatch private property, like a nice private beach where you wouldn’t have to deal with noisy tourists or pollution.   
The evening was beautiful. You stared out across the water with a sense of ease you hadn’t felt in a while. Leaning against the tarp on the roof, you dozed off for a bit.

You were awakened by a large, heavy hand on your shoulder, shocking you back to full consciousness. Defensively, you raised your arms, met with the reliably expressionless visor of Soldier 76.

“Commander Morrison!” You exclaimed, “You scared the shit out of me.” Accepting his hand, he pulled you to your feet, where you swayed a bit, lightheaded. 

“I’m sorry, agent.” He apologized tenderly, “No one had seen you for a while, and I wanted to check up on you. Make sure you were ok.” He shuffled awkwardly for a second. “When I saw you unconscious I couldn’t help but be worried.”

“No, no! I’m fine!” You reassured him, “I came for a breath of fresh air, and I guess I fell asleep for a bit.” You turned to the sea, admiring the glow of the moon and the sprinkle of stars that managed to overpower the light of the nearby city. “Thank you for checking up on me.”

Morrison stood beside you silently for a moment. You sometimes appreciated that he wasn’t as talkative as Hana or Lena. A cold breeze washed over you from the sea, and you shivered.  
“Did you want to stay out a little longer?” he asked.

“I do,” You shivered a bit and rubbed your upper arms, “But it’s gotten pretty chilly out here.” You smiled at him.

“You can borrow my jacket.” Morrison offered, already unzipping the garment. He didn’t give you time to refuse, draping the warm leather around your shoulders. You flushed and stammered out a thanks, awkwardly sitting at the edge of the roof.

Jack Morrison’s jacket was warm. Your shoulders would never be able to fill out the broad sleeves, and you pulled the collar up close to your chin to escape the night chill. Breathing in, you were overwhelmed with the scent of your commander. He smelled… safe. Leather, pulse munitions, and a distinctly masculine scent surrounded you. 76 had given you his _jacket_! You couldn’t fight the fluttering sensation that filled your chest as you realized this. You knew that this jacket meant a lot to him, and he had _offered_ it to you. You blushed furiously as you gazed out at the horizon.

Morrison was awestruck, rooted to where he had been standing. He couldn’t deny just how _good_ you looked in his jacket. Seeing his colors, his insignia, draped across your back filled him with a sense of pride and affection he hadn’t felt in years. Snapping himself out of his reverie, he sat beside you on the roof’s edge. You were looking out across the water, moonlight reflecting in your eyes and dusting a faint glow across your cheeks. Soldier couldn’t deny it any longer. You were beautiful. He hadn’t wanted to admit how much you meant to him. He had hoped that he would never have to face his complex feelings, but seeing you get shot, having his motives questioned by McCree, by Ana; it became more difficult to navigate.  
Jack Morrison had fallen for you. He knew it was selfish. You were kind, and passionate, and dedicated. You had stood up for him even when you believed him to be dead. He had acted somewhat selfishly when he gave you his blood. He had known that there would be consequences, but in that moment he had been so determined to keep you in his life he didn’t care what the cost was.

You sighed deeply, obviously lost in your own thoughts. Morrison wondered if you would ever return his feelings- if he even deserved your affections. But that was where you had always shined for him. You had always reminded him that he could still be a good man, that he still deserved happiness. A weight on his shoulder caught his attention, and he turned to see that you had leaned into his side, nestled against his arm, wrapped in his jacket. Jack turned back to the sea and relished in this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and please let me know how you feel about this chapter! I'll work on updating Mavericks in the next few weeks(now with a gender-neutral reader!) and I've also got a few other WIPs that may be up soon! I'm taking a lot of courses at university this quarter but I hope that I'll still be able to write for you guys!


	5. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader has to finally accept help from Jack. He may have acknowledged his feelings for her, but she has yet to realize how much he means to her; that's about to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Feelings and things! I'm super excited for where this story is headed and I hope you guys appreciate it as well!

After returning to Soldier his jacket and excusing yourself to head back inside, you made a silent beeline for the lab. It was late enough that very few people would be wandering the halls near Winston’s lab. You encountered no one as you let yourself into the cluttered space, knowing that Winston sent Satya and Mei to rest while he stayed up until nearly dawn to work. As suspected, the scientist was hunched over his desk working on what appeared to be shield tech. You knocked lightly on the doorframe as you entered.  
Winston seemed elated to see you. When you had last spoken with him, you were confined to Mercy’s care and convulsing with muscle spasms from the SEP chemicals. Now that you were up and about, he gladly welcomed you into the lab and cleared a space for you to sit.

“Now, Angela told me you aren’t yet cleared for lab work, so don’t let me catch you doing anything too helpful.” He warned with a friendly smile, “Hopefully in a few weeks you’ll be back with us. Satya has quite a few designs she wants you to proof for her.” 

You hugged Winston’s arm, glancing over the schematics projected on his workstation. He and Satya had been working to improve the bubble shield as well as her hard light projections, and you admired the progress they had made. Noticing a few comm units on the edge of the desk, you asked about them.

“Are those for the Ilios op?” You asked.

“Yeah, Ana and I will run comms tomorrow. Lena and Genji have been doing some surveillance of the area until then. I’ve got McCree on a channel right now.” He tapped his earpiece, “But whatever happened in Volskaya didn’t seem to be too serious.”

You picked up an earpiece and switched it on. “Jesse?” You called, “ How are things looking?” 

“Hey, pumpkin!” He responded instantly, “I didn’t think I’d be hearin’ from ya!” You were glad to hear the smile in his voice.

“I’m visiting Winston in the lab.” You couldn’t help but grin.

“She’s not working,” Winston assured the cowboy, “The last thing I want to do is defy Angela’s orders.”

“That’s good to hear. Don’t work yourself too hard sweetpea,” McCree’s caution held a tone of distraction and you waited to hear what he had seen. “There’s something fishy here at Volskaya, Winston.” He was silent for several seconds. “All their security is up, but I haven’t seen anything. It doesn’t look like they know what they’re lookin’ for either.”

Winston hummed in curiosity, pulling up his own surveillance info on a holoscreen. “Athena says their security systems were hacked, as well as some of their industrial machinery.” He scrolled through the report, “Katya Volskaya herself was supposed to oversee a demonstration on site. This isn’t mere coincidence.” 

“I’ve got eyes on Volskaya right now.” Jesse called. “She’s being escorted to her vehicle with an impressive entourage of heavily armed guards. There must have been some kind of infiltration attempt. She certainly doesn’t look happy.” 

You had been reading over Winston’s shoulder when something caught your eye. “These hacked systems look a lot like the ones from Mexico. The Lumerico Corporation faced some similar shutdowns during the revolution.” You gestured to the reports. The growl that emanated from Winston shook you to your very core and you jumped as he knocked a jar of peanut butter to the floor in frustration.

“Sombra.” He growled into the comms. “A hacker who stole some tech from me a while back. They’ve been supposedly working with Talon.”

“Talon activity lines up with what I’m seeing here.” McCree responded, “They’ve finally sent Miss Volskaya away and they’re currently cartin’ out the casualties from the attack. Looks like an unforgiving motherfucker with a shotgun took out most of their personnel.”

“That confirms Reaper was present.” Winston noted, his disdain for the masked killer was obvious in his tone.

“They seem pretty set on keepin’ the whole affair covered up. I think we’re the only people who were even aware anything happened out here.” Jesse relayed. “I’m gonna see what else I can dig up around here, I’ll report back in a bit.” You heard the sound of his equipment being shuffled around, “And sweetpea, take care of yourself.” He waited until you promised to get some rest before signing off.

“If Sombra and Reaper are working under talon to destroy Volskaya industries, things are much more serious than I anticipated.” Winston tugged at the fur behind his ears, a nervous habit of his. “We’re going to need more field agents. The young Miss Lindholm will supposedly be joining us soon, but I fear we will never be strong enough to take down an organization as dangerous as Talon.”

You remembered your promise Hana earlier in the day, “Winston, Hana wanted me to remind you that she is capable of going out in the field without her MEKA.” You knew that the New Overwatch was trying to avoid public attention, and Winston had intentionally been keeping D.va off of missions for fear she may be too recognizable, but it seemed unfair that she should be confined to base despite her abilities as a soldier. Just because her giant pink MEKA was too conspicuous, that didn’t mean she shouldn’t be permitted to fight at all.

“You’re right.” Winston conceded. “I just don’t know how I feel sending children into battle.” His eyes held so much sorrow for humanity. You hugged his arm, hoping to console him.

“I was pretty young when I first enlisted in Overwatch.” You reminded him, “It was a decision I made because I knew I wanted to fight.” Winston huffed in response.

“You nearly died in the explosion at Switzerland.” He shot back. 

“And even after that, I knew I still wanted to fight to make this world a better place.” You locked eyes with the gorilla, ready to challenge him if necessary.

“Fine,” He sighed in defeat, “I’ll see about putting Miss Song on a strike team.” You grinned and threw your arms around his neck.

“Hana will be so happy to hear that.” Your smile was contagious, and Winston laughed and shook you off, pleading for a few hours of solitude to work on his designs. You left the lab with a promise to return soon and arrived at your quarters with a sense of satisfaction. Surely Angela would clear you to go back to work soon, and you could go back to trying to make a difference in the world.

 

Your room seemed a little warm for your tastes, so you stripped down to your underwear and settled for laying on top of your blankets, tossing and turning in discomfort until sleep finally came. Despite having felt fine all day since Ana's injection, you could feel the beginnings of a migraine and your muscles ached for seemingly no reason.

You shot awake drenched in a cold sweat. Your chest was aching again, though not nearly as much as before, and your heart was pounding in your ears.  
“Ah, shit.” You groaned, pressing your fingers to your temples to try and relieve some of the pressure there. Athena politely informed you that it was barely 4 in the morning; you had barely slept for 3 hours. With much difficulty, you managed to stand and turn the tap on in your sink. A few splashes of cold water over your face did little to soothe your headache, and your entire body raised in gooseflesh at the sensation. A shower became your number one priority.

The warm water helped to wash away the sticky feeling of sweat on your skin but only exacerbated the pounding in your head. The pain in your chest was manageable, the pain in your stomach was not. You weren’t entirely sure when the last time you had eaten was considering how time you spent either sleeping or sifting through old Overwatch files. Despite your hunger, you doubted you would be able to keep any food down for long, the SEP chemicals certainly came with a severe side effect of constant nausea.

Freshly showered and clad in some loose PT sweats, you meandered into the dark kitchen, a lone box of Lucio-Ohs abandoned on the counter evidence of someone’s, probably Hana’s, late night snacking. You opened the industrial sized fridge, artificially cold air pouring over your feverish form and the soft incandescent light illuminating your food options. After several long moments of staring, you closed the door and turned to the cabinets. The process of gazing blankly at the contents of each cabinet was repeated several times before you made a decision. Opening the far cabinet on the left, you pushed aside several boxes of dried seaweed and butterscotch tea biscuits to retrieve a tall glass bottle. You clutched Jesse’s stashed whiskey against your chest and carried it to the rec room couch. A moment’s consideration followed, and you turned back to the kitchen to fill a glass with ice. As long as Jesse wasn’t here to judge you, you felt no shame in adding a few cubes to his cheap, astringent, whiskey.

Upon returning to the rec room, you were surprised to see the bottle of whiskey had disappeared from where you had left in on the coffee table. You froze in the doorway, instantly on guard. Movement in your peripheral vision drew your attention and you jumped at the sight of Jack Morrison, unmasked, leaning against the doorframe of the other entrance, holding your beloved bottle.

“It’s Jesse’s” You declared defensively, as if that would absolve you of the blame for drinking it in the first place.

“I know. So why were you gonna drink it?” Jack turned the bottle over in his hand, pretending to be reading the label.

“I’ve uhhh…” You fumbled a bit trying to explain yourself, “I’ve got a pretty bad headache and that shit is about the only thing I can think of that will burn just as much going down as coming up. No use wasting good food.” You set your glass down on the coffee table and tentatively approached the soldier. He seemed relaxed, friendly, and you were frankly terrified. The crooked smile Jack flashed you as you reached for the bottle in his hands sent a sensation down your spine you weren’t sure you could name. He deftly evaded your attempts to retrieve the whiskey and instead stole your spot on the couch, twisting off the cap and pouring a liberal amount of the liquor into your waiting glass. A word of thanks was just behind your lips before you watched him _raise the glass to his lips_ and down the stiff drink in one gulp.  
“Wait a second!” You hissed, “That’s mine!”

Jack had the audacity to _grin_ at you and pour himself another glass. “Sweetheart, SEP and alcohol don’t mix. I learned that one the hard way.” He recapped the bottle and tucked in next to him on the couch, ensuring you wouldn’t be able to get to it. You crossed your arms in indignation and flopped onto the cushion next to him with a huff, blushing furiously from the pet name.

“I can’t work, I can’t train, I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, and now I can’t drink?!” You whined. Jack looked at you with an expression akin to pity. You were sure he saw you as a helpless rookie, petulant and childish. 

“Can I help you out?” Morrison asked; you couldn’t help but stare at him. His visor usually hid his expressions and you were stunned at the sincerity in his eyes.

“I don’t know what you can do, but at this point, I’ll take what I can get.” You nodded. Under the intensity of Morrison’s scrutiny, you couldn’t stop your stomach from flip-flopping, and then growling. You still hadn’t found anything to eat… 

Morrison must have heard the sound because he stood suddenly, grabbing the bottle of whiskey and striding towards the kitchen. “Come on, I’ll fix you something light.” You followed after him, curious.

You watched the older man prepare another mug of ginger tea from Ana’s stash in the cabinet, he only pretended to disguise his actions as he poured a splash of whiskey in the mug. You stared at him in disbelief as he sat the steaming drink in front of you. He waited for you to tentatively take a sip before turning back to the cabinet and grabbing a container of oatmeal.

"I thought SEP and alcohol didn't mix?" You asked. He didn't respond, and you stared at your cup in disapproval for a moment before giving up and taking another sip.

It was a rather strange sight to see, the hulking, weathered form of Soldier 76 performing such a simple and domestic task as cooking oatmeal. The whiskey-tea mix didn’t taste too terrible and helped to soothe your stomach and lessen the pounding in your head.

“Aren’t you worried?” You asked in between sips, “Wandering around base without your visor on?” Morrison just shrugged from his spot in front of the stove.

“Hana is streaming, so there’s no risk of seeing her for a few hours.” He added some spices to the now steaming oatmeal, “And, this may sound ridiculous, but some people on this base try to maintain a somewhat normal sleep schedule.” He chuckled a bit under his breath and you decided you enjoyed that sound.

“I can personally attest to seeing Angela wide awake at two in the morning.” You countered, “And I don’t even think Commander Amari _needs_ sleep.” This drew another chuckle from the soldier and you smiled to yourself. He poured the oatmeal into a bowl and liberally sprinkled sugar and cinnamon over the top. He set the bowl in front of you and you were about to tuck in when he interrupted.

“Wait.” You paused mid-scoop to watch him dash to the fridge. He rummaged around for a second before returning to plop a handful of blueberries into his masterpiece. “Okay, now you can eat.”

You couldn’t help but giggle at the entire ordeal. “Is this your magnum opus? The ultimate SEP oatmeal recipe?” You teased. The oatmeal was actually really good, and you hummed your praise around a mouthful and gave a thumbs up to your personal chef.

“Gabe liked the blueberries.” Jack shrugged and sat down across from you. Once again, you were thankful he had forgone the visor. The look of grief in his eyes was obvious, and you wished you could comfort the old soldier.

“I also think they’re delicious. He was very lucky to have you taking care of him.” You felt lame and useless trying to console him.

“He actually took care of me most of the time.” His voice was wistful, filled with nostalgia and longing. “I don’t think I was supposed to make it through those injections, but he wasn’t gonna let me just die on him like that.” He sighed heavily, and the sound nearly crushed your heart. You wanted to hear him laugh again.

“It sounds like the two of you really relied on each other.” Your voice seemed to call him back to the present and you were faced with the intensity of his gaze.

His voice was low and serious, “I want to be able to do for you what he did for me.” You blushed and looked down at your oatmeal. “This shit can be rough, you shouldn’t have to go through it alone. If you can trust me, I want to help you get through this.” You could feel the determination in his expression without looking up. Damn this man for being so powerful.

“Thank you,” You squeaked out, not at all as strong as you intended, “But I think I’m actually doing okay. Aside from the headaches, I should be just fine.” Soldier just sighed, obviously not believing you.

“Let me guess, you woke up feeling feverish? The front of your head feels like it weighs 100 pounds? You haven’t been able to keep down your food?” He listed off your exact symptoms. You glared at him. How dare he call you out like this? 

“I ate lunch yesterday, excuse you.” You sassed back, shoving a spoonful into your mouth indignantly.

“You’re probably gonna get feverish again in a bit.” He remarked coolly, with too much confidence for your tastes. You hoped he was wrong. “The ginger tea will help with the nausea, but the headache will get worse before it gets better.” He continued, much to your annoyance. “I had really bad seizures for my first injections, but I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. I think you’ll have Gabe’s problem of vertigo. The man couldn’t walk in a straight line for two days.” He stared you down, daring you to try and defy him. 

“I’ve been fine all day since Ana gave me the injection!” You argued, “Why would I start having complications out of nowhere?” 

“Because it’s always the worst at night. Just trust me. Your body finally tries to relax at night and that’s when everything decides to kick in.” He spoke with such confidence and authority you couldn’t find it in you to fight any longer. You slumped back in your seat, letting him take your empty bowl and mug to the sink while you considered your options.

“What do I do?” You asked, ready to fight this thing head on.

“Let me help you. Be honest with me about what’s going on so you don’t have to make this harder for yourself. I’m the reason you’re in this mess in the first place.” Jack crossed his arms and you suddenly felt like a recruit again, young and naive, ready for anything. You could see Strike Commander Morrison instead of Soldier 76, ready to help you in training.

“Fine.” You conceded. “But you have to keep making me oatmeal.” There it was again, that low laugh that seemed to envelop you. 

“Anytime, sweetheart.” _Oh, fuck._ You thought to yourself, _There is no way this is going to end well._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I know it seems too good to be true that I'm updated Mavericks and this fic in one weekend, and I hope that I have time to upload again soon! I'm planning on writing a smut companion piece for this fic to make up for how slow the action is moving (I'm taking a class on Jane Austen please forgive me) Let me know what you think and if there is anything you want to see!


	6. 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader pushes through the worst of her SEP symptoms, luckily Jack is there to help her every step of the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for being patient with me! I think with the way my writing schedule is going, I'll be uploading less frequently until I am out of class for the summer. I'm super excited for where this story is going, and I hope you guys enjoy it.

Jack being right became a source of near fury for you. He predicted your every symptom with annoying accuracy. Shortly after you had finished your oatmeal and tea, the pounding in your head began to creep back. You were thankful that the nausea had subsided, but in its stead came a strange wave of dizziness. Jack noticed you were starting to feel unwell and helped you to your feet. The movement sent the world spinning. The floor beneath you seemed to be tilting constantly, and you weren’t even sure you were standing upright. The first step you took felt like a 30-foot free fall.

“Lean on me.” Jack warned, “The dizziness is a result of the chemicals. And it’s not going to go away very quickly.” You heeded his advice and stumbled into his chest. He wrapped a sturdy arm around your shoulders and guided you out of the kitchen.

The walk back to your quarters felt like it took half an hour. For all you knew, it very well may have. The hallways seemed to shift like liquid, and the walls rushed by in a blur while the floor didn’t seem to change at all. Jack directed you in a straight line, steadying your inconsistent gait and catching you when you stumbled. A door opened and you were ushered into the dark of your room. Heavy hands conducted you to a couch and pushed you to sit.

Wait. You didn’t have a couch in your quarters.

Whirling your head to take in your surroundings was a mistake. The room- not yours- spun rapidly.

“Where am I?” You demanded. 

“My room,” Jack answered nonchalantly. His reply sent your head spinning again and you groaned in distress.

“Make the world sit still, please.” You complained

“You’re gonna hate this. But lay down and close your eyes.” You weren’t sure where Jack was in the room, but he seemed to be working on something. His advice seemed innocuous enough, yet you hesitated at his assurance that you would dislike the suggestion. Reluctantly, you followed his command, reclining across the couch.

Closing your eyes eliminated the disorientation of your surroundings constantly shifting. You no longer felt like everything around you was spinning like a carousel. Unfortunately, you seemed to cease existing in space altogether. Up and down didn’t exist, you weren’t sure if the couch was even horizontal. 

It felt like you were dying again.

You remembered vaguely the sensation of weightlessness that accompanied major blood loss and shock. A ghost of pain ached in your neck. You remembered strong arms, rough voices, unbearable pain. Your breathing quickened and your heart began pounding, the feeling of blood moving through your body suddenly very overwhelming. You knew the panic was irrational, but you couldn’t stop the tightness in your muscles and the wrenching in your gut. 

“Hey,” Soldier’s gruff voice cut through your distress, “sweetheart? You’re okay. You’re safe.” His tone was genuine, and you felt yourself beginning to calm down. You could feel him kneeling next to you, close enough for his presence to be noticeable, but not crowding your space.

“I just want all of it to stop.” You whimpered. You refused to open your eyes because you knew that tears would fall.

“I know,” Jack consoled. “I’m so sorry. I wish it didn’t have to be this way.” The regret in his voice made your heart hurt.

“No.” You stated firmly. “Don’t tear yourself up over this. I told you that I’m glad you saved me, and I am. I’m most likely not going to die, so whatever you did worked. We just have to get through these next few days.” You hoped that the finality of your tone could convince him because the pained expression on your face was not helping you make your case. 

“Just… let me know if you need anything.” Jack sighed. “Your fever will probably get worse again soon.” You felt him move away from the couch and heard his footsteps recede to across the room. Knowing he was nearby helped to soothe the fear caused by the vertigo. You knew Jack wouldn’t let you die, not without one hell of a fight.

 

Jack noticed your fever before you did. He must have heard your teeth chattering. He approached the couch and knelt beside you, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder to let you know he was there. You let him slide his arm under your shoulders and pull you upright. A glass was placed at your lips and you gulped down the water.

“Do you want me to move you to the bed?” Jack asked, “Or I can bring a quilt over here for you?” His offer took you by surprise. There seemed something… intimate about recuperating in the strike commanders bed. A younger you would have blushed furiously at the thought of even being in Jack Morrison’s quarters. Here you were, years later, being doted upon by the same man you once idolized. You knew how nice the mattresses were in the command quarters, so you let that make your decision for you.

You attempted to push yourself off the couch but found your struggle interrupted as Jack merely scooped you into his arms. Resistance was useless, so you allowed yourself to be gently tucked under the comforter on the king-sized bed. The mattress was just as luxurious as you imagined. Why did high command get such nice quarters when your bunk was just a few inches of mass-produced memory foam?

“Your body is trying to fight off an infection that isn’t there.” Jack informed you, “Just believe me when I say that the best thing you can do is rest.” 

“I just hate feeling so helpless.” You pouted, but didn’t argue, as Jack placed a cool washcloth on your forehead.

“I know,” He concurred, “but please just try and get a few hours of sleep. You have a check in with Angela today, right? You wouldn’t want her to know you’re still experiencing these symptoms.” The old soldier was right, and you scorned him for knowing exactly how to will you into submission.

“What about you? It’s nearly sunrise, isn’t it?” You asked.

“I’ll be here. I’ve got some reports to go over and some intel to sift through. I can wake you in a few hours.” You didn’t really have a problem with that plan, and you found yourself too sleepy to even respond.

 

The fever chills pulled you out of unconsciousness at one point. The nausea had returned, and you worried momentarily if you were going to be sick. You had gotten used to throwing up almost everything you ate while in the med bay, but you had managed to keep everything down recently.

You confirmed that you were safe to lay in bed and suffer, pulling the comforter tighter around you and continuing to shiver uncontrollably. A soft, low sound drifted to your ears, and you strained to discern what it was.

Singing.

Or humming, more precisely. Jack was humming some kind of soft song nearby. You couldn’t quite place the melody, one of those tunes you could sing along to without having heard it before. The low rumble of his voice settled in your chest and you found yourself at ease. Sleep had taken you once more before you could ask the time. Jack hadn’t even realized you were awake.

 

Light against your eyelids warned you that Life was still happening and you still had responsibilities. An involuntary groan escaped your lips as you stretched your arms and pressed up to a seated position.

“Good, you’re awake,” Jack noted, “It’s 09:17, you’ve been asleep for about three and a half hours. Angela will probably want to see you first thing.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” You climbed out of the insanely comfortable bed, “Did you sleep?” You asked, attempting to tame your bedhead. 

“I rested for a bit.” Jack answered vaguely, “How are you feeling?”

“I guess I’m ready to go fight Angela.” You shrugged. “I feel much better than I did a few hours ago.” You paused for a second, “Thank you... for everything.”

“It’s not a big deal. Let me know how everything goes with the doc.”

The two of you parted ways outside his door. You took your time heading to Angela’s office, desperately trying to prolong the inevitable. The long corridors of Gibraltar seemed ominous and empty. You had never been stationed here before the explosion at the Swiss headquarters, and you were surprised at how expansive the base was when you answered Winston’s recall.

Angela smiled when she saw you walk into the med bay; you tried to return the gesture.

“Oh, don’t look so agitated.” She waved her hand, “I’m just going to run some tests.”

She ran a lot of tests.

You were hooked up to sensors and told to run on a treadmill, then walk on a treadmill. She made you recite the periodic table (something you had been forced memorize when you were at university) and do several memory tests. She drew blood, swabbed your cheek, and checked your eyes. You felt strung along like a puppet.

“How have you been sleeping?” You lied: Fine.

“How have you been eating?” You lied: Fine.

“Any pain or soreness?” You lied: No.

The quirk of a blonde eyebrow warned you that dear Mercy didn’t believe a word out of your mouth. Her fancy biotic sensors probably told her all of this information already.

After an eternity of playing lab rat, Angela sat beside you and pulled up a bunch of gibberish on a holoscreen.

“I’m going to be honest.” She began, “I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for here. We can’t truly measure the changes that the SEP serums have had on your body because we don’t have a lot of control data. I’ve done my best to draw conclusions using the information from your intake physical, but most of this is based on normative figures.”

You nodded, pretending to have a clue as to what she was talking about. You were an engineer, not a doctor. This was not your area of expertise.

Angela continued, “The brain scans offered the most information. It seems as though your proprioceptive abilities are well above average, this was likely not the case before the transfusion- no offense.”

“None taken,” You smiled.

“From what I have read about the serums, the United States Government was using amino acids to target white matter in the brain. They wanted to improve myelination to create quicker soldiers with faster reflexes. Your scores today are congruent with a mild representation of this theory.” Angela looked at you expectantly.

“So I’m faster?” You asked, hoping you didn’t look like a total idiot.

“Cognitively, yes.” The doctor nodded, “Your somatic systems and musculoskeletal systems don’t show any direct effect, but I have a hypothesis I would like to test.” She frowned at something on the holoscreen.

“What kind of hypothesis is that?” You asked, suddenly very wary. Your nervousness must have shown because Angela backpedaled a little.

“Do not worry.” She assured you, “You will enjoy this experiment.” She smiled, and you felt the anticipation building. “How would you like to be cleared for training?”

 

You flew across base, for once thankful for the empty halls. Your footsteps echoed down the corridors as you skidded around corners. You threw the doors to the training grounds open with a slam. Sure enough, Soldier was geared up and taking on hordes of training bots, mowing them down with ease. He turned when he heard the door open, and quickly placed his rifle down when he saw you were slightly out of breath.

“Is something wron-” he started to ask but was interrupted when you threw your arms around his neck in excitement.

“Angela cleared me to train!” You exclaimed happily. “And I can work with Winston and Satya in the lab this afternoon!”

“That’s great, sweetheart.” Jack looked down at you. You couldn’t see his face behind the visor, but you were sure he was smiling.

“Hey! You!” You heard a call from the balcony above. You recognized the high pitched voice immediately, heat rushing to your face. “If you’re allowed on the training grounds, then you should get up here and help me get a new high score!”

Hana Song.

Hana Song had just seen you hug Soldier 76, and now you had to go explain yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please check out my [writing blog](www.clareguilty.tumblr.com) for updates and info on requests!
> 
> Also, I'm taking a bunch of neuroscience classes so it was nice to have an excuse to use all of the dumb biology jargon with Angela's dialogue.


	7. 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader is excited to train again and has a good heart to heart with D.Va. Unfortunately, The Reaper makes an appearance in Ilios.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super excited for this chapter! Next chapter will be very Jack-centric. I am also now taking requests on my [writing Tumblr](https://clareguilty.tumblr.com/)!

The first thing Hana did when you approached her was thrust her own light pistol into your hands and point to a training bot about 20 meters out.

“First things first. Empty the clip into that bot.” She pointed before cocking her hips and crossing her arms. You didn’t bother to argue, taking aim and firing all 20 rounds. Both of you looked at the bot and the high number of bullet holes _around_ the bot. You sighed and handed her the gun back.

“Geez, your aim sucks more than it did before you got shot,” Hana said bluntly. You were used to her abrasive and upfront demeanor, but it didn’t make the burn any less hurtful.

“I haven’t been able to fire a weapon in almost two weeks.” You defended yourself. “Angela thinks I will improve much more quickly.” You remembered what she had told you in the med bay. “I just have to reteach my muscles how to do everything.”

D.Va seemed unimpressed. “I was in a coma for 3 days once and my scores didn’t drop more than .35 points.” She flicked her hair and summoned more bots to shoot at.

“That’s because you’re Hana fricking-” You started speaking only to be cut off by the young gamer.  
“Whatever,” She waved her hand flippantly, “I wanna know about you and the old man.” You watched her take out 3 bots in as many seconds. All headshots.

“I don’t know what you're talking about.” You tried and failed, to play dumb.

“Oh please,” More bots appeared, moving targets this time, “You’ve been in and out of each other’s rooms the past few nights, you have dumb quiet conversations that no one else is allowed to be a part of. I know you know who he is under that lame mask. And I _saw_ how you were hanging off of him earlier. I wanna know all the details.” She dispatched the moving targets just as easily as the stationary ones.

“He feels responsible for me getting shot on that last mission,” You tried to tell Hana the truth without revealing too much information. “He’s been helping me deal with the pain and trick Angela into thinking I’m ready for lab work again.” 

“Ew, lab work.”

“I like lab work.” You countered. “Do you want to know this stuff or not?” Hana pouted and nodded, waiting for you to continue.  
“Anyways, he’s been taking care of me until I’m back on my feet. He’s agreed to help me figure out what happened to the old Overwatch, which is cool.” You shrugged. Hana was just nosy, none of this information was really exciting.

“I don’t get why you care so much about the explosion at Switzerland. It was like six years ago.” Hana turned to face you. You tensed all over. Hana didn’t know about your past.

“Hana,” You began gravely, “I care so much because I was _there_.” The younger girls eyes widened instantly and she bowed low, her arms stiff by her side.

“ _Mianhabnida_. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” You gave the girl a gentle hug.

“It’s okay,” You assured her, “You didn’t know.” You sat down on a nearby bench. 

“I was a new recruit,” You began, “I had just completed all of my basic training. Me and the rest of my training squad were in the locker rooms, mostly just goofing off. It was too close to the actual blast.” You took a deep breath. “I shouldn’t have survived. None of them did. It was a freak accident with the way the lockers were set up that I didn’t get burned up.” 

Neither of you spoke. Hana was intently toying with the charm on her light pistol.

“You can’t blame yourself. And it’s not an accident that you survived.” She said quietly. “You didn’t blow the place up. It’s not your fault they died. If anything, blame that Reyes guy. They said he’s the one that did it.” Her voice rose as she spoke, and she finally locked eyes with you. “If we blamed ourselves for every friend that we lost the guilt would kill us. I had to learn that the hard way.”

You wiped a few tears away. “I don’t think Commander Reyes is responsible for the explosion either. That’s why I’ve been trying to find out more.” You stood up a little straighter. “I’m gonna go grab a gun and a few rounds. I really need to work on my aim.” You grinned weakly before running to the armory.

Hana trained alongside you for a while, giving you pointers when she could and even offering to spar. The great D.va was, unsurprisingly, a master of hand to hand combat. You were thoroughly pinned beneath her when she spoke up out of the blue.

“He’s got a crush on you, y’know.” The gamer said casually, easily thwarting your attempt to break her hold on you. “The old soldier.”

“What? No!” You sputtered. Another useless attempt to push her off of you. 

“C’moooon,” D.Va whined, “It’s totally obvious. Lena and Jesse see it too. The guy’s got it bad for you.”

Her taunting worked. In your frustration, you managed to break out of her hold and roll backwards into a fighting stance. “It’s not like that!” You insisted. She just shrugged.

“Whatever you say.” She grabbed her gear and turned to leave. “If he doesn’t like you, then that kinda sucks because you sure as hell have feelings for him.” She turned and walked out, leaving you balking. Damn Hana Song and her need to always have the last word. You picked up your weapon and shot mindlessly at a few targets.

Yeah, you liked Jack. But you didn’t ever think anything would come of it. He was your commander, for crying out loud. But if Hana was right…

No. You couldn’t let yourself daydream like that. It didn’t matter that Jack was kind, and caring, and he called you sweetheart, and made you oatmeal. It was pointless to think about his warm, low chuckle and his eyes that always revealed exactly what he was thinking. Your accuracy was only marginally better than when you had started shooting that day, and you sighed and began reloading. 

 

Athena interrupted you a few minutes later.

“Agent McCree has returned to base. He requested that I let you know he is in the lab.” her calm voice echoed through the range.

“Thank you, Athena.” You quickly put away your weapons and rushed to the lab. McCree, Winston, and Ana were looking over a swarm of holo screens.

“Howdy, buttercup,” McCree’s face lit up when he saw you. “I heard that the good doctor is letting you train again.” You nodded and hugged him around the middle.

“Shit sounded pretty serious at Volskaya” You said, peering at what Ana and Winston were looking at.

“An absolute shitshow, but it was kept under wraps. The only headlines to come out of the whole ordeal were vague and said nothing about Talon.” McCree frowned and pointed to a screen. One of the flycams in Ilios had picked up movement in the ruins. “This area is supposed to be locked up, right?” 

“Yes. No personnel will be at the site until tomorrow evening.” Ana pulled up the other flycams in the area.

The four of you watched intently, waiting to see if there was any other movement. Nothing registered for several minutes. Finally, McCree pointed to another camera. “That can’t be good.” His finger traced a shadow through the stones. Someone, or something, was at the ruins.

“Tracer,” Winston called into the comms, “We’ve detected an intruder in the ruins. Whoever they are, they’re trying to be pretty stealthy.”

“I’m on it!” A cheery voice echoed back. “Genji’s comin’ with me.” 

You gasped as you saw a full figure pass over one of the screens. “Is that…?” Your question died in your throat. Even just a small figure on the flycam, the shadow made your blood freeze.

“Reaper,” Ana answered for you, her voice solemn.

“Lena,” Winston sounded worried, “Stay alert. The Reaper just passed through the smaller building by the coast.”

“The Reaper?” Genji asked, his voice low. “Bring it on.”

“Genji, be careful.” McCree chided his friend. “He’s a tough motherfucker.” Jesse crossed his arms and walked to the other end of the room. He seemed to have a lot on his mind.

“That doesn’t make sense.” You said, “Reaper and Sombra were just in Russia yesterday, would they really attack Ilios so soon?” You watched the as the shadow passed through the old stones. He seemed to be everywhere at once, materializing in every shadow.

“They didn’t get what they were after yesterday. Volskaya’s still alive.” McCree muttered. “Winston,” He turned to address the scientist, “How fast can you get me out there?” Winston seemed surprised at the question.

“I suppose you can get there by tonight,” Winston considered “But I don’t know what that will do if The Reaper decides to attack now.”

“He won’t,” Jesse said definitively. “This is just surveillance. Tell Lena and Genji not to engage. He’s gonna be back later, and he’s gonna have reinforcements.” 

“Jesse’s right. All he’s doing is checking what security is in place. He doesn’t seem interested in anything else.” Ana remarked, attentively watching the dark cloud.

“Does he know we can see him?” You asked.

“Oh, he knows,” Jesse said, his voice was low and angry. The tension in the room was raising the hair on your skin. Everyone but you seemed to have a personal vendetta against Reaper. “He’s figured out every security measure we have in place. That’s why we need to put more men on the ground.”

“Send Jack.” Ana’s command was crisp and cold. Every eye in the room turned to her. “He’s been waiting for G- Reaper to show up for months. Between him, Lena, Genji, and Lucio they should be able to handle whatever Talon throws at them tonight. I’ll go myself if you think they need more support on top of that.”

Jesse raised his voice. “Let me take him on.” He clenched his fists and leaned into Ana’s space. “Me and Genji, just like old times.”

You placed a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “You just got back from Russia. You need to rest.”

“She’s right.” Winston agreed.  
“Athena,” He waited for the AI to respond, “Send Commander Morrison here. Tell him it’s urgent.” 

Jesse seethed next to you. “Agent McCree, you’re dismissed.” Winston gave Jesse a look that clearly said: “this argument is over.” 

“C’mon Jesse,” You led the cowboy out of the lab, leaving Ana and Winston to wait for Jack.

Jesse was tense and angry. You weren’t exactly sure what had him so worked up. The Reaper was terrifying, but you didn’t understand why Jesse would want to go in after him alone. His anger at being shut down was even more concerning. You watched him seeth, his jaw set and his fist clenched. You placed a gentle hand on his arm, hoping he wouldn’t lash out at you.

“Let’s go off base for dinner. We can go to Michelangelo’s!” You tugged on his sleeve. Michelangelo’s was in town, right down the road from Gibraltar base. It was a usual spot for when Overwatch agents wanted to eat off base. Jesse didn’t seem too excited by the idea, but he nodded stiffly. “We can sneak out if you want, make it more exciting?” You tried to get any kind of reaction from the cowboy. There wasn’t any real punishment for leaving base without permission, but it sometimes made outings more fun.

“Sure,” McCree conceded. He seemed to have cooled off a bit.

“I’ll drive!” You grinned, “We can see if Mei wants to come, take her car?” You offered. You weren’t sure if Jesse wanted to be around other people, but Mei was so sweet that it seemed impossible she would upset Jesse further. He just nodded again. You sent Mei a quick message, inviting her out for the evening. Jesse wandered off to shower and change, and you found yourself excited to wear civilian clothes. It had been a while since you had left base, and you were excited to wear something cute for a change; you usually wandered around base in workout gear or your Overwatch uniform.

Surprisingly, your old civilian clothes fit quite loosely. Since the recall, you had grown leaner, thinner, from hours of training and the stress of your recent injury. You decided to put on a little makeup, excited to live it up on the town.

Jesse stopped by to get you a few minutes later, dressed down to a blue button down and some faded jeans. He looked much more approachable in his civilian clothes, even if the cowboy had was still ridiculous. Mei had traded her lab coat for a tank top and a floral beach skirt.

You, Mei, and Jesse drove the short distance to the shore in her small vehicle. Jesse was in lighter spirits, and the three of you joked as you walked along the coast towards Michelangelo’s.

“Hey,” Jesse called as you passed a bar, “We should stop there for drinks later.” You agreed, volunteering to be designated driver for the evening. You couldn’t drink anyways, Jack would be upset with you. He had warned you that alcohol may mess with the SEP chemicals.

Michelangelo’s was a small pizzeria on the beach, backing right up to Catalan Bay. Salty air rushed in over the shore, accompanied by the roaring of waves. The three of you picked a table outside, drinking in the sunset and freedom.

“There’s a good chance we will see bottlenose dolphins here! They are very common in the Alboran Sea.” Mei exclaimed, searching the horizon. Civilian life felt unfamiliar as you scanned the menu. You had become so used to life at Watchpoint: Gibraltar.

A cheery server took your order, one of the first people you had spoken to off base in weeks. Jesse got his usual order of ribs, while you and Mei shared prawns and ham. You still didn’t have much of an appetite. Conversation came easily as you joked about fellow agents and exchanged anecdotes. Jesse astounded you with his ridiculous stories, and, by the end of your meal, your sides hurt from laughing too hard. Mei was excited to learn that you were able to join her in the lab again but expressed concern when she realized you had been lying to Angela about your condition. You had been fighting off headaches all day, but you felt better than you had all week.

Jesse dragged you to The Seawave, a bar not even two doors down from Michelangelo’s. He somehow sweet talked the bartender into letting him buy a whole bottle of gin, emerging triumphant and herding you and Mei to the beach. He and Mei passed the bottle between them, laughing and chasing each other as the sun dipped beneath the waves. McCree became drunk quickly, and you recognized he was specifically trying to push away his frustrations from earlier.

Once his speech had become sufficiently slurred, you declared that it was time to head back. You took the long way home, driving south along the coast for a few minutes before turning back towards the base.

You walked with McCree back to his room, hoping he would tell you what had been bothering him all evening. He continued taking large swigs from the bottle of gin, and you considered confiscating it. Jesse did not have a healthy relationship with alcohol.

“You could use a good night’s sleep.” You said as you corralled the cowboy into his bedroom. “It’s been a few days since you’ve gotten any rest.” Jesse kicked off his boots and slumped onto his bed. You set his shoes in the corner where he liked them and grabbed two bottles of water from the cabinet. You and Jesse were close friends, and you knew your way around his quarters pretty well by now.

“I’m not gonna sleep t’night anyways.” He slurred. You deftly exchanged the bottle of gin for the bottle of water. Jesse didn’t seem to notice the difference when he took his next drink.

“Why not?” You asked. From the amount he had drunk, you figured he would pass out in a bit anyways.   
Jesse didn’t answer your question. Something was definitely up. You plucked his hat from his head, hanging it on its designated hook. “Is this about Ilios?”

“I shoulda been the one to go.” McCree huffed. “Me ‘n Genji. That’s how it’s s’posed to be.” You sat beside him on the bed, patting his hand reassuringly.

“Everything’s going to be fine. If anyone can take out The Reaper, Jack can.” You tried to encourage him. Jesse stiffened at your words.

“No,” He said adamantly, “It’s not supposed to be like that.” You recoiled at the fire in his voice. You were missing a very important piece of the puzzle, and Jesse didn’t seem too keen on telling you what that was. 

“What is it supposed to be like?” You hoped the question was innocent enough that Jesse would give you some information.

“Genj and I. We could talk some sense into him. Bring him home.” Jesse started rambling. “Whatever Moira did. We can fix it. He’s not all gone.” There was nothing you could do but listen. You wrapped your arms around your friend, pretending not to notice as he wiped tears from his eyes. The pain and loss in his voice shook you to your core. Who had hurt Jesse like this? You had no clue who “Moira” was, but it gave you a starting point for where to look.

As suspected, Jesse passed out at one point. You put a light quilt over him and made your way to the old office.

It took a few tries, but you finally found the “Moira” Jesse had mentioned. She was a geneticist and Blackwatch agent, recruited a few years before the explosion at Switzerland. You found her name across hundreds of files. She was apparently a very controversial addition to Commander Reyes’s team, somehow connected to every disaster Overwatch had faced before being disbanded: the Lacroix disappearance and subsequent murder, the Venice incident, a failed medical experiment with no other information provided.

Moira O’Deorain seemed like a shady character and a poor hiring decision, but you weren’t sure what she could have done to make Jesse so angry. She apparently was working at Oasis university, but her research was still considered controversial and inconclusive. Maybe Ana or Winston would tell you.

You left the office with more questions than answers, but you had new information that would hopefully help you figure out what happened in Switzerland. Your room was dark and cool when you turned in for the night. Hopefully, you would be able to sleep through the night without any pain.

That didn’t happen. 

Your headache worsened, and worry kept you up, tossing and turning. Who was Moira? Were Jack and the others okay in Ilios? Why was Jesse so upset?  
After a long while, you grabbed your datapad, wincing at the bright blue glow in your dark room. You did a few quick searches online.

_Reaper Talon_   
_Reaper Museum Attack_

Low-resolution videos showed the shadowy mercenary taking on Lena and Winston at a museum. Your skin began to crawl even though the video quality was shit. He stalked forwards, shotguns firing endlessly. This man, if he was even a man, was definitely terrifying. He was a threat, and it was Overwatch’s job to take him out.

You wandered to the kitchen to make yourself some ginger tea. You considered the oatmeal in the cabinet but knew you wouldn’t be able to do Jack’s justice. Maybe… 

You were about to do something very stupid.

Rather than return to your own room, you wandered towards the high command quarters. Athena opened Jack’s door without question. He must have given you access at one point. The room was empty and dark, but it smelled just like Jack. You didn’t hesitate to curl up on his bed, falling asleep easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Check out my [writing Tumblr](https://clareguilty.tumblr.com/) please! 
> 
> P.S. All of the restaurants and locations and menu items in this chapter are real! I had so much fun researching for this one! I really want the prawns and ham that Reader and Mei share.


	8. 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack's encounter with the Reaper in Ilios

Ilios felt exactly like Gibraltar in many ways. The dull roar of the ocean provided a constant backdrop of sound. Salty wind coursed over the shore and wound through roads and alleys. Jack Adjusted his grip on his rifle as he navigated the outskirts of the city. The white lime walls reflected too much light, too easy to be seen. Athena had deposited him outside of the city, several miles from where Lena, Genji, and Lucio were stationed at the ruins. If Talon was nearby, they didn’t need to know that Overwatch sending in reinforcements. Unfortunately, that left Jack with several miles of ground to cover before he could reach the rest of his team.

The Reaper hadn’t been seen in several hours. He had smoked through the ruins, clearly looking and planning, but had left without any trouble. Even if the younger agents knew he was returning, it was likely they would be overwhelmed by the Talon forces that would inevitably advance on their position. Jack just hoped he made it in time.

Jack had faced Reaper before, several times. In the last several years of traveling as a vigilante, Soldier: 76 had fought the shadowy talon mercenary on many occasions; neither one had ever emerged the victor. Every brawl ended with Reaper disappearing in an angry cloud of smoke, and Jack stumbling away to nurse his newest wounds. Even with Reaper’s abilities, the two were evenly matched, meeting each other blow for blow at every turn. This was no mistake.

Gabriel Reyes had been Jack’s best soldier, his closest friend, his brother in arms. Jack hadn’t believed it the first time he fought Reaper, hadn’t wanted to, but there was no denying that, whatever Reaper was, it moved exactly like Gabe. The shotguns, the confidence, down to every goddamn footstep, Reaper was distinctly _Reyes_. Since that first fight, every subsequent encounter had only solidified that fact in Jack’s mind. He wasn’t alone. The other members of the old Overwatch had seen it too.

The moon was high above the horizon, providing plenty of light and making the night vision in Jack’s visor pointless. He hadn’t heard any updates over comms in several minutes, which meant that everything was peaceful at the ruins. Or that Talon had killed the frequency and had already attacked, but Jack convinced himself that that was much less likely. He had learned years ago that his paranoia would get him nowhere.

* * *

Lena and Genji were waiting at the ruins when Jack arrived, sitting in a small room watching surveillance readings on several small holos. There had been no sign of Talon in the past few hours, and anticipation was rising with each passing minute.

“Maybe they saw that we were here and called the whole thing off?” Lena asked.

“No. They need whatever it is they’re here for. Reaper and Sombra were in Volskaya yesterday, but they didn’t get what they were after. This is them clearly trying to make up for that failure.” Soldier said. If they stopped Talon here tonight, where would they look next? If he knew their next move, he could stay one step ahead of Reaper.

“They’re after the relics, they must have someone who is willing to pay.” Genji noted, “We can’t be sure what they want, so we have everything under pretty tight security.”

“And Lucio?” Soldier asked.

“He’s on patrol for the rest of the hour, Genji is gonna take his place next.” Lena reported back. Soldier nodded in approval. These were good agents. If they had been up against anyone but Reaper, he wouldn’t have felt the need to come out here. He asked a few more questions about the relics, until Lena interrupted him to ask about _your_ condition. Soldier was taken aback by the out of the blue inquiry.

“She’s fine.” Soldier assured the young woman, “I didn’t get to check on her this afternoon before I shipped out, but Angela has cleared her for training and her scores looked pretty good this morning.”

“Let’s ask Winston what she’s up to!” Lena said excitedly. Without waiting for Soldier to answer, she pinged the scientist and demanded to know how you were doing.

“Uuuh…” Winston stammered for a moment, “She’s just returning to base I think.” He sounded unsure.

“Returning to base?!” Soldier demanded, “Why was she off base?” Lena and Genji exchanged looks at the outburst.

“She got dinner with McCree and Mei in town.” Winston said calmly, “They just returned a few minutes ago and Athena says they’ve returned to their quarters.” 

Soldier was silent for several seconds, so Lena spoke up in his place. “It’s good she was able to have a night out with friends!” She said cheerfully, “Hopefully she feels a bit better after being cooped up for so long.”

“Yeah, hopefully,” Soldier didn’t sound as enthused.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Winston cleared his throat, “How do you plan to deal with Ga-Reaper tonight? If it comes down to it, could you eliminate him?” 

Time seemed to freeze. Knowing Lena, it probably did.

Jack was silent once again. This time, it was Genji who spoke.   
“We will do what needs to be done.”

“That’s all I can ask for.” The gorilla sighed, “Signing off for now, ping me again if you have any _serious_ questions.”

The three agents sat silently for several minutes, unsure of how to handle the pressure put on them by Winston. Lena shuffled a bit and cleared her throat, the other two snapped to look at her, masked faces hiding so much turmoil.

“You wouldn’t really kill Commander Reyes, would ya Genj?” She asked, her voice unusually quiet.

“Sometimes, I don’t believe that thing truly _is _Reyes.” Genji said slowly. Jack stiffened, but the ninja continued, “But I’m going to do everything in my power to bring him home.”__

“Gabe is still in there somewhere,” Jack growled, “And I’m going to bring him back if it’s the last thing I do.” He gripped his rifle tightly; neither Lena nor Genji could see the tears in his eyes.

“Jack,” Lena said softly, placing a hand on his arm, “I know you want to help him, but it’s no use dying out there. You have other people counting on you now.”

It was like a string had snapped, wound so tight it had no other option than to break. Jack saw your face, pale with blood loss and twisted in agony. Your face, smiling weakly in a hospital bed. Your face, laughing openly over a bowl of oatmeal. He had other people counting on him. He had _you_ counting on him.

* * *

The return of Lucio eliminated all tension in the room. Genji swiftly left to take his place on patrol, and Jack took over watching the holos while the younger agents chatted. Only a few minutes had passed before Genji spoke up over comms.

“Yo, it looks like there is some activity up at the Acropolis.” He whispered. “I’m gonna check it out.”

Tracer and Lucio were up and ready to go before Soldier could speak. He smiled beneath his visor, a proud commander. “You two, protect the relics no matter what. That’s what Talon is here for. Tracer, you cover the south side. Lucio, you take the north. Stay in communication and call for backup if necessary. We have speed on our side. Any one of us can outrun even the fastest trooper.” The two agents nodded and set off, Tracer blinking out of sight and Lucio skating across the old stone with remarkable skill.

“It’s definitely Talon up here.” Genji reported, “Looks like two platoons worth of troopers and enforcers, led by Reaper. I don’t see any other higher-ups. They seem to be planning to rappel down into the excavation site and fan out from there. Should I engage?” He asked.

“No,” Soldier said, “You and I can take cover in the excavation site and surprise them as they touch down. Meet me under the catwalk.”

“10-4.” 

Genji was already waiting at the excavation site when Soldier arrived. The large area sat lower in the ground than the surrounding ruins, providing Soldier and Genji with the advantage of higher ground.

“You take out the first few with your shuriken.” Soldier ordered, “Once they realize they’re under attack, I’ll open fire. You and Lucio protect the relics north of this position, Tracer and I will cover the south side. If you see Rey-Reaper, let me know. You and I together have a better chance of taking him down.”

Genji nodded in the affirmative and scaled the stone wall. Jack crept up the southern excavation ramp and positioned himself behind several large stones. From this position, both men could easily watch the Talon agents as they rappelled down into the excavation site. Jack watched the first squad of men touch the ground and instantly keel over, shuriken embedded in the soft gap of the Talon armor right at the back of their necks.

The second team to touch the ground instantly realized that they were being targeted. The men began calling out, alerting the rest of the squads that the Overwatch agents were aware of their position. Jack waited; it would be useless to fire his weapon until Genji wasn’t able to take out the agents silently. 

When the first Talon agent fired a shot, Soldier took aim and swiftly eliminated the men Genji hadn’t killed. The sound of the pulse rifle caused a commotion, and the ruins came alive with gunfire and shouting.

“They’ve started coming down the wall farther south!” Tracer called, the sound of her pistols echoing over the comm channel.

“I’ve got the same problem up here!” Lucio said. Genji dashed through several troopers and instantly took off running to help Lucio. Soldier sprinted towards Tracer’s position, ready to assist her.

“Reaper sighted along the coast,” Genji said, and Jack stopped in his tracks. He turned towards the sea, expecting to see the smoky silhouette that haunted him, but nothing was there.

“I’ve got a good handle on things down here,” Tracer called, “You go after him!”

Jack didn’t hesitate, he began sprinting down the coastline, looking for any sign of Reaper.

“Soldier, watch your back.” Genji’s voice rang out through the air and crackled in Jack’s ear. Sure enough, Jack dove to the side and tucked into a roll, barely escaping a shotgun blast.

“Try and take him on from two sides,” Soldier yelled to Genji. “And don’t lose him when he smokes out.”

The ninja obeyed willingly, dashing towards Reaper with his sword drawn. The hooded figure dissipated as Genji passed through, but Soldier was ready, firing several quick shots into the exact spot that Reaper reappeared.

Reaper growled. The bullets had some effect, but they weren’t enough to take him down. The fight dragged on. Genji and Soldier alternating attacks and predicting every move their opponent made.

Jack’s heart was pounding. This was the closest he had ever come to defeating Reaper. If he and Genji could incapacitate Reyes, they had a chance to capture him.

It was useless. Even with both Soldier and Genji, Reaper managed to escape. He realized he was weakened and outmatched, and disappeared into the night, growling and hissing, smoke rolling off of his now deteriorated form. Lena and Lucio had eliminated almost every Trooper and Enforcer. The relics were untouched.

* * *

Jack leveled his pulse rifle, even with the man’s eyes. His heavy boot pressed further into the silver talon chestplate.  
“Where is the Reaper going?” He growled, finger resting dangerously on the trigger.

“I can’t tell you! I don’t even know where the headquarters is!” The man exclaimed. The fear in his eyes apparent and pathetic.

“Listen kid,” Soldier barked, “You’re bleeding out. All your buddies are dead as stone. If you can’t tell me something I wanna hear, I’m gonna shoot you right here. Otherwise, I can dump your useless ass in front of Santorini Hospital and you can try and make something of your worthless life.” He dug the heel of his boot further into the young soldier’s abdomen, forcing blood out of the wound in his side. The noise the incapacitated Trooper made was inhuman and pitiful.

“I’m- just infantry.” The kid whined. “They don’t tell me anything.” Tears streamed down his face and Soldiers face twisted into a grimace at the snotty mess this terrorist had become.

“Then you’re useless to me.”

The tip of a katana blade appeared between Jack’s rifle and the sobbing Trooper’s head, effectively stopping Jack from killing the poor kid.

“I think this requires more of a Blackwatch touch, Soldier.” Genji interrupted, voice level and impartial.

Soldier hesitated, finger squeezing the trigger ever so slightly, before lowering his rifle and pushing off of the kid. “I’ll leave it to you. Let me know if there’s anything to pick up when you’re done.” The kid wheezed and panted, grateful to be released. He did not know the horrors of Genji’s interrogation to come.

Jack stalked to where Lena and Lucio were packing up security equipment. Lucio was uncharacteristically quiet, clearly upset by Jack’s actions on the field. Sure, the four of them had protected the relics and the ruins, but at what cost? Was torture really a part of the new Overwatch? Lena stared at her commander, betrayal and disappointment written clearly across her expression.

“We’re leaving as soon as everything is packed up.” He snapped. Lucio started at the harsh yell, while Lena just frowned deeper. 

Several screams erupted from where Genji was interrogating the Trooper. Jack was the only one who didn’t flinch. “Load this gear up, it sounds like we’re heading out.” The younger agents scrambled to do just that.

Genji approached, waiting for Lena and Lucio to leave before speaking.

“Venice.” He said flatly, “He said Talon has some kind of meeting in Venice, but he truly didn’t know much more.”

“I’m going. It must be soon.” Jack said gravely.

“The trooper is still alive,” Genji added. “I recommend we get him medical assistance immediately.”

“Good. I’ll have Lena alert the hospital, let them know to watch for a mercenary in critical condition. Strip him of any identifying armor. It’s better that no one knows about Talon activity in the area.” Jack grabbed the last of the gear, hoisting it on his shoulder and marching off towards the dropship and leaving Genji behind to carry the unconscious Talon Trooper.

* * *

No one spoke to Jack the entire flight back to Gibraltar. He disembarked from the dropship and headed directly to his room. It was nearly dawn, and he saw no one on the way to his quarters. 

Jack froze when he stepped into his room. He knew on instinct that someone had come in while he was gone, but only five other people on base had access to his quarters. The sight of you curled up on his bed, sleeping soundly for the first time in days, struck Jack to the core. He had meant to quickly repack his gear and immediately leave for Venice, but the sight of you nearly made the man crumple to the ground.

Jack had just tortured a man, a young soldier who didn’t know what he was getting into. He had just brutally eliminated entire squadrons of Talon mercenaries for the sole purpose of bringing Gabe home, not even realizing that you also needed him. Was his mission so important that he could cast aside those that cared about him, those that he cared about?

Gabriel. Bring Gabriel home.

You didn’t stir as Jack moved about the room. His enhanced senses allowed him to hear your breathing clearly. For once, your sleep seemed peaceful and undisturbed. Jack quickly repacked his bags and shouldered his gear, ready to leave for Venice immediately.

He stopped at the doorway. Should he wake you up? Should he face the consequences of what he had done and was about to do? He considered it for a long moment, but just talking to you for even a few minutes would inevitably lead Jack to making a mistake he was desperately trying to avoid. You looked so peaceful for once since before your injury, he couldn’t bear to take that away from you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please check out my writing [Tumblr](https://clareguilty.tumblr.com/)! I post updates and extras there, and I would love to hear your thoughts!


	9. 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader finally puts all of the pieces of the puzzle together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This chapter definitely contains a lot more angst than usual, but I promise it's all for Very Important Reasons.

Consciousness greeted you with agonizing soreness. You cursed Hana for pushing you so hard in training yesterday. You cursed Angela for clearing you to train even though you had lied to her about everything. You cursed yourself for being so stubborn and not letting your body heal properly. You cursed Jack’s blood, _your blood_ , for wrecking you completely, forcing your entire self to rebuild from scratch.   
The thought floated through your mind that these were _mild_ symptoms, that Jack and Commander Reyes had experienced this tenfold.

You buried your face in the blankets to try and smother your headache, useless. The blankets, you realized, were too thick to be the ones in your quarters, and you started before realizing where you had fallen asleep.

Jack’s room was dark and empty. It didn’t look like he had been in at all, and for that you were thankful. You weren’t sure you could explain yourself to him if he demanded a reason for your invasion of his privacy. You were sick, sure, but you could have gone to Angela.   
Hana’s bold statements drifted to you. So what. You thought Jack was handsome and kind. Sure, you daydreamed about him holding you close and brushing his scarred lips across your skin.

No.

You were _not_ doing this. Not in _his_ bed.   
You scrambled up, grabbing your comm. A grateful sigh escaped you when you realized you didn’t have any notifications, but the time made your stomach twist. It was already midmorning. You had slept for several hours, longer than any other night in the past week, it seemed.

Vacating Jack’s room was surprisingly simple. The high command quarters were mostly empty, occupied only by Ana, Jack, Angela and Fareeha, who rarely even spent time in their rooms. You wandered to the kitchen, surprised to find Lena and Genji sitting at one of the smaller tables. They went eerily silent the second you stepped into the room. Distress was clear in Lena’s eyes.

“You’re back from Greece.” You noted lightly, trying to ease the tension in the room. “Is Jack around?” Wrong move. They both instantly tensed. Lena took a second to respond.

“He already left a few hours ago. He said he was going to let you know that he was leaving.” She sounded confused, suspicious. You tried not to let your surprise show as you grabbed food from the fridge. Jack had been back to base. Now you knew. But he was gone again already? He would have had to stop by his quarters, which means he definitely saw you in his bed, but he didn’t wake you up. Why?

“He woke me up a few hours ago to let me know that he was heading out again.” You lied. You weren’t sure why, but it seemed like a better idea than admitting Jack hadn’t spoken to you. “I didn’t know he had already left yet. It’s a pretty quick turnaround.”   
Lena and Genji seemed to buy it, but you were left with more questions than before.  
Where was Jack going?  
Why didn’t he wake you, especially if he knew you were in his room?  
Did this have something to do with The Reaper?

You scooted in next to Lena while you ate, trying to make light conversation. Neither agent seemed to be in a good mood and you were worried about what had happened in Ilios.  
You told them about your night out with Jesse and Mei, lamenting the terrible hangovers they were undoubtedly nursing right now. Lena snickered when you mentioned having to put McCree to bed like a child.

“Winston actually told us that you had gone down to the shore.” She smiled, “Jack got really upset when he learned you had left base. He’s so protective.” She shook her head. “It’s kind of cute actually.” 

You looked down at the table to try and hide your blush. You don’t know why you liked the idea of Jack being worried about you.  
Lena was still for a moment; she seemed to be thinking about saying something. Instead, she stood from the table.  
“I’m gonna go see what Lucio and Hana are up to. Cheers!” And, with a blue flash, she was gone. Genji rose from the table as well, clearly about to excuse himself.

“Genji, wait.” You called. He stiffened a second as you approached. “I… I wanted to ask you some questions,” You took a deep breath, “About Blackwatch, and Moira O’Deorain.”

The cyborg studied you carefully for a second. “Very well,” He sighed and turned to leave the kitchen. You followed him, unsure.  
Genji led you to the room he shared with Zenyatta, two doors down from Jesse.  
“Master is away right now, so we will have the most privacy here.” He invited you inside and provided you a chair.

You sat in nervous silence for a second. Watching Genji shuffle a few belongings around before he sat on the bed across from you.   
“I will try to answer your questions as best I can.” He said, his accented voice even as always, “My time in Blackwatch was tortured and disordered, and many of the events that took place are not stories I am entitled to share, but I will try my best to help you.” Genji took your hand in his, a small gesture of sympathy that warmed your heart.

“Thank you,” You shifted in your seat, unsure of where to begin.  
“Tell me about Moira. No one seemed to like her very much, from what I’ve read, but she seemed like she was good at her job.”  
Genji scoffed.

“Jesse and I hated her, still do. She was arrogant and uncompassionate, even more so than I was.” The cyborg tilted his head, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, “But we tolerated her. She was Reyes’s star researcher, and he was her favorite lab rat. I didn’t find out about the experiments until it was far too late, and I think it was the same for Jesse. By that point, we had made up our minds to leave. I think he is still weighed down by the guilt. He thinks that if he had stayed, he could have prevented the end from happening.” Genji sighed. None of you liked seeing Jesse suffer the way he did. He carried his past with him, never letting go of the pain.

“Do you think he could have? Stopped the explosion?” You asked. Everyone was so vague when they spoke about Old Overwatch. You still felt like you were missing so many pieces of the puzzle.

“The explosion? Yes. The end? No. Reyes was gone by the time we could have even realized what was happening. Moira slipped between the cracks as everything started to fall apart. We were the only ones who could have known she was responsible, and we had abandoned him.” Genji’s hand around yours tightened. You ran your fingers across his knuckles.

“What do you mean Reyes was gone? He left Overwatch?” You were confused, every report you had read put Reyes and Morrison on base during the explosion.

“Moira’s experiments. They were more than even Reyes knew about. She was corrupting him, rewriting his entire being without anyone knowing. I can’t be sure, but I think Talon was using Moira to change Gabriel, to weaponize him.” Genji was clearly distressed and you moved to sit beside him on the bed, leaning into his side and laying your head on his shoulder.

“You couldn’t have known. There was nothing you could have done to change things.” You said softly.

“I know. Jesse still believes it can be undone. He thinks there is a way to save Commander Reyes.” 

“Do you?”

“I want to believe.” Genji hung his head. Everything was coming together. All of the pieces of the puzzle. The things Jack and Ana and Winston and Jesse wouldn’t tell you. The missing files from the old hard drives. Why everyone was so hesitant to take on-

“Reaper.” You whispered.

“I wasn’t sure if you knew or not,” Genji said. He must have seen the realization cross your face.

“I didn’t. No one told me.” You were trembling. You didn’t know why. It was the same shock as when Soldier: 76 revealed himself to be Jack Morrison. Gabriel Reyes was alive. Gabriel Reyes was Reaper. Gabriel Reyes caused the explosion in Zurich. “I don’t know why they didn’t trust me.” Your voice was hoarse.

“I don’t think they kept this from you out of mistrust.” Genji tried to reassure you. It wasn’t working. “If anything, they wanted to keep it between the people who it mattered the most to.”

You rose to your feet so fast your head spun. Genji didn’t try to stop you as you stormed out.   
For the first time in days, your room felt like the safest place on base. Not the lab, not Jack’s room, _here_. Your own quarters. The tears flowed freely, the first time you could remember crying in a while. Anger and betrayal and pain roiled in your gut.   
Why did no one tell you? After Jack told you the truth about his identity, what was the purpose of hiding Reyes’s survival from you? You would have found out anyways. You _did_ find out anyways. You thought that the members of the old Overwatch trusted you, respected you. Instead, they saw you as a naive rookie, not important enough to be kept in the loop. 

But that’s just what you were, wasn’t it? A rookie. A recruit. You had only seen the High Command as they strutted through your training regimens, decked out in blue, smiling down at idealistic kids like you. Six years later, and nothing had changed. Jack saw you as something helpless to be protected. A fuckup he had to keep from self-destructing. You had come crawling back from the wreckage of the Swiss base only to be babied and treated like a child. Were your only friends on base really Hana and Lucio? Children with more money and power than they knew what to do with? Would anyone even care if you left? If you walked away tonight?

Your eyes and throat burned from crying. You knew your face was red and puffy; no amount of cold water would hide the evidence of your breakdown.  
Staying in your room only helped for a few hours. The silence began to eat away at you after a while, and you numbly wandered the halls of Gibraltar base, not really caring where you went.

The lab was quiet but not empty. Your footsteps were heavy and loud as you approached the workspace you and Satya shared. She was hunched over several hard light projections, moving components what appeared to be a micrometer’s worth of distance.

“I’m glad to see you’re back.” Satya’s measured voice rang clearly through the room. “There is a stack of designs for shield tech and sensor components I would like you to look over for me.” For once, you appreciated that Satya was all business, all the time. She wouldn’t care to ask why you were upset, and you didn’t want her to. All you needed was to drown yourself in work.  
“I appreciate you being here. Dr. Zhou is out today, she appeared to be nursing a rather brutal hangover when I stopped by this morning.”

You chuckled wryly, “That happens when you drink gin straight from the bottle.”  
Satya’s mouth twisted in disgust. She must not be a fan of drinking. 

The two of you worked in near silence, only disturbed by the occasional question or comment as the two of you worked on the hard light designs. The arrival of Winston was the only disturbance to your work; but as the gorilla lumbered into the lab, you realized you weren’t very upset with him. Of all of the old Overwatch members, Winston had always shown you the most kindness and respect.

He noticed immediately that you were upset.  
“Is everything okay?” He asked, frowning deeply at your probably dismal appearance.

“It’s been one of those days.” You shrugged. “Recovering from a gunshot wound isn’t all sunshine and daisies.”  
Blaming everything on your injury successfully shook off Winston, though he still seemed concerned every time you sighed too deeply.

“I was meaning to say,” Satya spoke up from across the room, “I am very relieved that you are recovering from your injury.”

You were floored. You and Satya worked well professionally, but she had always seemed cold and removed no matter how friendly you tried to be. Her concern for you was touching.  
“Thank you, Satya. That means a lot to hear.” You squished your eyes shut, fighting back another flood of tears. It would be useless to overreact. But even if Satya didn’t know it, her words had meant a lot to you.

* * *

You spent the next two days in the lab, drowning yourself in work and only spending time with Winston, Satya, and Mei. It was easy to dodge Lena and Ana, but McCree and Hana were harder to shake. Jesse took to messaging you on your comm after Satya barred him from entering the lab. Your responses were always short and noncommittal, trying to discourage him from pressing any further.

Hana realized pretty quickly that you were avoiding her and remedied that by breaking into your quarters one night.

“How did you get past the override on the lock?” You asked her as she flopped onto your bed, demanding to know what the fuck was going on.

“Just because I don’t use hacks, doesn’t mean I never learned how.” She blew her bangs out of her eyes, “Now, why are you being such a moody bitch all of the sudden?”

You didn’t say anything for a minute, hoping she would give up. She didn’t.

“I can’t really tell you about a lot of it.” You said. Much of the information concerning Talon was kept securely under the noses of Ana, Winston, and Jack. If you were just finding out about this, they certainly didn’t want Hana to know.

“I don’t care about any of that stuff.” Hana waved her hand. “What the old farts do is all up to them, I’m here to bust bots and help Korea. What I _want_ to know, is why you’ve been avoiding me. Did I do something wrong?”

“No!” You assured her, “You did nothing wrong. It’s…”

“Did the old man break up with you?” The young Korean raised an eyebrow.

“No! We weren’t even together!” You shoved at her shoulder. You knew if Hana wasn’t going to relent until you gave her something. You sighed.  
“It’s about the explosion.”

“Oh.” Hana sounded genuinely concerned. You tried not to doubt her. “Did you learn something new?”

“Yeah.” You tried to tamp down the anger that was threatening to boil over. “I… I don’t know who I can trust.”

“That sounds really creepy, and I would really appreciate if you could give me a little more.” Hana stared at you with wide eyes.

“It’s nothing that serious.” You shook your head. “Everyone here is safe. I just realized that I’ve been intentionally kept in the dark about a lot of things.”

“That’s still pretty fucked up if you ask me.” She crossed her arms. You appreciated her support. Hana was truly a good friend, and you felt bad for avoiding her the past few days.

“I just… don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore. If no one’s on my side,” Your nails dug into your palms.

“I’m on your side.” Hana said adamantly. “And, if we need to, we can go rogue and take off in the night. No one is keeping us here.”  
You couldn’t fight the smile brought by her words. 

“Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” You hugged the tiny soldier, weight seeming to lift from your shoulders as she squeezed you back.

* * *

Jack returned to base the next night. You didn’t want to, but you wandered to the hangar to meet him anyways. Anger kept you close to the wall, arms crossed.   
He had his visor on, but you knew the moment he saw you. His shoulders shifted, posture changing. You wanted to see his face.

As he approached, it was clear he sensed something was wrong. He stopped a few paces before you, wary.

“Is everything alright?” His voice held a note concern that you couldn’t have faith in. Why would Jack give a shit if you were doing okay?

“Did you find him?” You asked. You hoped the question would sound accusatory, but your voice was weak and hollow.

“Find him?” Jack sounded confused. Of course, you weren’t supposed to know anything.

“Commander Reyes. Did you find him?” Your voice was stronger now, the question more caustic.

“No.” Jack sounded defeated. He was clearly exhausted.

“You didn’t tell me he was alive.” You spoke again. He looked up. “You didn’t tell me that Commander Reyes was alive, that he was the Reaper.” The strength in your voice was wavering, and you fought the tears that stung the back of your eyes.

“No,” Jack didn’t say anything else, didn’t try to defend himself.

“I don’t understand why you didn’t trust me.” You looked into the red glass of the visor. How dare he hide behind his mask while you were left defenseless. Frustration and anger simmered below your skin; you knew your face was hot and flushed.

“I do trust you-” Jack started, but you cut him off.  
“Why didn’t you tell me, then? Why did you let me stumble around blindly trying to put together the pieces when you already had everything figured out?” You had grown louder now, stepping forwards into his space.

“Because you wouldn’t understand.” Jack growled. You had pissed him off. 

“Wouldn’t understand?! Do you think I’m an idiot?!”

“No. But you’re just a kid. This is bigger than you. You weren’t there.” Jack stared down at you from behind his faceplate. Your blood began to boil. You knew you were shaking with rage.

“Wasn’t there?!” You dragged the hem of your shirt up, revealing the dark scars littered across your abdomen. “Does this look like I wasn’t there to you? The nightmares? The scars? You think I’m just doing this because it’s fun?” Jack froze, his gaze glued to the ghosts of the burns on your stomach. You didn’t wait for him to say anything, there wasn’t any more damage he could do.  
He didn’t follow you as you stormed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to come yell at me on [Tumblr](https://clareguilty.tumblr.com/) because I truly love hearing from y'all!


	10. 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Jack have a serious conversation about their pasts. The two discover they are bound by more than even they realize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow, and I have no clue how much writing I'll be able to do after my surgery, so have another chapter!

It was easy to continue avoiding anyone on base you didn’t want to see. You took lunch with only Satya and Mei, holing yourself up in the lab for 12 hours at a time. You only trained with Hana, and she made a point of coming to your room whenever the two of you hung out, her handheld consoles providing hours of distraction from the misery that plagued your lonely hours.

You felt terrible for screaming at Jack the way you did. Not even twenty minutes after you had stormed out of the hangar, guilt had seeped into your blind rage, and you collapsed into another fit of tears. It wasn’t pride or spite that kept you from apologizing, but fear. Jack had every right to never want to speak to you again. All you could do was push through the twisting in your gut every time you thought about his gentle smile and deep chuckle.

The one person on base you couldn’t avoid was Angela. She sent you several messages practically begging you to come by the med bay for a checkup. The last thing you wanted to do was face the doctor and her tests, but she was persistent. You caved after a day and a half, relenting out of fear that she would send Fareeha to drag you out of the lab against your will.

The tests seemed more arduous than the last few times you had been under the scrutinizing gaze of the blonde doctor, maybe because you actually felt healthy this time, no longer tortured by constant headaches and soreness. Blood was drawn. Samples were taken. Angela seemed intent on taking measurements anywhere she could get them. The routine treadmill tests preceded several new reflex tests and memory exercises. You wished you understood the science behind what Angela was looking for, but you just felt a little ridiculous.

After a particularly thorough physical exam, Angela sat you down in a hospital gown and pulled up her usual holo-screens covered in medical gibberish.  
“You will be happy to know that my hypothesis has been confirmed in several aspects.” She grinned at you and you found you could genuinely return a smile. “White matter has increased in both your CNS and your PNS, and your overall neurological synaptic system has grown faster and stronger by marginal, but nominal, amounts.”

“And that affects my…” You hoped she would give you something, anything, in plain English that you could actually understand.

“Mental processing speed and abilities.” 

Of course, those things. 

Angela pulled up another chart. “Now that you have returned to training, I have confirmed an increase in HGH secretions, allowing you to build more lean muscle during workouts.”

“I don’t think I’ve grown any.” You looked at your paper-clad body. Aside from the weight you had lost after getting shot, you didn’t notice anything different.

“Again, these changes are very slight. You were affected by only a small percentage of what Morrison and Reyes experienced, so any differences are going to be near immeasurable.” The doctor pulled up a screen you clearly recognized as your training scores.  
“You’ll be glad to know that your baseline agility is now higher than it was before the transfusion. As you continue to push yourself harder, you will see more reward than you would have without any enhancement.” You nodded along. Angela was throwing a lot of information at you at once, and you were slowly coming to a daunting realization.

“All of these changes,” you cut off whatever scientific jargon she was spewing, “They’re permanent? Completely irreversible?” The white lights of the med bay suddenly seemed too bright. A strange panic was closing in.

“Well… yes.” Angela looked at you with an expression you couldn’t understand. 

Your body. 

You couldn’t shake off the nausea and crushing anxiety that seemed to tackle you from behind. Sure, all of these changes were supposed to make you _better_ , but you had never faced the reality that your body didn’t even feel like your own. Everything you were before the transfusion was gone. Your body, faster, stronger, was always going to carry the reminder of _Jack_. You hadn’t asked for this. This wasn't your choice. Jack had given you his blood, and now you were going to have to live with the consequences forever. With or without him.

Angela’s soothing voice seemed much farther away than her actual person. A flash of blonde in your peripheral vision was the only indication she was even in the room with you. You gulped down huge breaths of air as she rubbed your back and tried to console you.

You weren’t sure how long you spent having a breakdown, but it sure felt like a long time. Angela sat with you the whole time, she seemed to know exactly what to say to ease your discomfort.

“You know,” She began after your breathing returned to normal. “I’m sure Jack would gladly talk with you about the changes caused by SEP. He really cares about you, and I know he carries his own guilt about what he did to save you.”

“He probably regrets not letting me die.” You winced at your own cynical tone. Angela gasped. You instantly wished you hadn’t spoken.

“ _Liebling_ ,” She looked you dead in the eyes, “You mean more to him, to all of us, than you will ever know. I know you have to live with the cost of Jack’s rash decision, but believe me when I tell you I’m so thankful he managed to save you.”

You wiped away your tears and hugged Angela. You had been such a dick the past few days, cutting off the people that had become your family.

“Please talk to Jack. Your pain has been unimaginable, but he makes himself suffer so unreasonably. You’re the only person in years that has been able to get through to him. He cares about you so deeply, it’s inspiring to watch. We’re all so thankful for what you’ve done, not just for him, but for all of us. You bring so much hope with you wherever you go.”

You left the medbay in a sort of daze. The anguish and rage and loneliness of the past few days had been erased by Angela’s kind, sincere words. Rather than go find Jack right away, you wandered out to the roof of the mobile command centers. The ocean breeze of Gibraltar felt more like home than any place you had been before. You had been here for months, your first permanent residence in the six years since the explosion. Winston had done so much for you when he let you answer the recall, giving you a home. You had a family here, friends that cared about you. 

A glowing orange dot in the distance pinpointed the lit tip of Jesse’s cigar. You resolved to talk to him tomorrow, to apologize for being distant and to make amends for your actions in the past week. Jesse was such a good friend to you. You finally felt like you understood him, the pain and guilt he carried with him. Blackwatch, Reyes, Reaper, he blamed himself for all of it, and you had never known. You felt like such a dick, closing yourself off from the people that truly cared about you.

The sun set over the horizon, water turning from yellow to orange, to purple, to an inky color that brought with it a cold wind. You shook off the chill in your bones, the smell of Jack’s jacket lingering in your memory alongside the feeling of the warm lining. You missed him too.

Cowardice convinced you that it wasn’t yet time to face Jack, so you tried your hardest not to find him by avoiding the practice range and high command quarters. 

Fate had other plans.

The door to the old office slid open with a hiss only to reveal a bedraggled soldier sifting through holo-screens. You fought every instinct that screamed at you to turn and flee, instead, steeling yourself for the inevitable confrontation.

Jack noticed you immediately. You saw him glance to where his visor was resting on the desk and prayed he wouldn’t put it on. You weren’t sure you could face him with everything bared while he hid behind the tinted glass. His fingers twitched minutely, then stilled. The door slid closed behind you.

“I’m sorry.” You whispered, voice embarrassingly croaky. “I’m sorry for yelling at you and being so horrible. I’m sorry for being such a burden and for causing you so much trouble.” Tears had welled up in your eyes no matter how hard you fought them, but you were done crying. Enough tears had been shed already.

“You’re not.” Soldier rasped.

“I’m sorry, what?” You stiffened. Was he turning you away? Did he not forgive you? To be honest, you hadn’t really considered that option. Jack cleared his throat.

“You’re not horrible, or a burden, or causing trouble.” Relief flooded through you. The floor seemed to fall away as Jack continued. “You’re brave, and clever, and kind. The world has been cruel to you, people have been cruel to you, yet you never fail to compassionate and hopeful. I’ve become a better man since you came into my life, but I’ve never said thank you.”

“You shouldn’t thank me. Not after how I’ve treated you.” You shook your head.

“I’ve been selfish.” Jack stood, moving to stand in front of you. Your breath caught as he stared down at you, raw emotion storming in his blue eyes. “I took responsibility for your life on that dropship, and I never wanted to put you in that kind of danger again. It was wrong of me to hide the truth from you, especially since the truth was all you ever wanted. But-” Jack paused and rubbed his jaw, “I thought I could protect you.” 

You stepped back, flush against the closed door. “I can protect myself.” You matched his gaze, daring him to speak against you.

“You can, and I know that now.” Jack seemed tense; you hoped he wasn’t angry with you, “It’s me. I’m too weak to watch you suffer. Seeing you in pain because of my blood… I can barely live with myself knowing how much of your agony has been by my hand.”

You felt your face heat up. Jack’s words were so sweet, but he didn’t seem to understand. “I thought we were done having this conversation.” You stepped forward, into Jack’s space. “You saved my life. It’s not about the chemicals, or the fevers, or the headaches. It’s about the fact that I’m still here. I would much rather feel like shit for a week than not be here at all. Besides,” You grinned, “You’ll always be there to make me oatmeal.”

Jack seemed to visibly relax. “Yeah. I’ll be there.”

A moment passed between you, no one saying anything. You broke the silence, clearing your throat and moving to look at the holo-screens Jack had pulled up.

“This stuff makes a lot more sense to me now that I know things.” You swiped through to a file filled with Blackwatch information. “Looking at these reports and correspondences between something that happened in Venice and the months leading up to the explosion, there’s a shift in the way things in Blackwatch were handled. I’m only noticing it because I’m looking at everything all at once, but it would have been impossible to catch at the time.”

Jack moved to stand behind you, leaning over your shoulder to look at a few select reports. You tried to focus even though his jaw was inches away from your temple. His chest was pressed flush against your back and you could feel every nerve in your body short-circuiting.

“I can see what you’re saying about the reports, but why are they different again right before the explosion?” Jack’s voice rumbled in your ear. You tried your best to clear your head and look at what he was pointing out. It was true, the last few reports before the explosion were different, more resembling those from before the Venice incident. You pulled up everything you had from that time period, correspondences, pictures, medical files. Everything was partial and scattered, but it helped to paint a picture.

“These are all from right after McCree left Blackwatch. If Genji is right, and Commander Reyes was being manipulated by Moira, I think he somehow managed to catch on. It looked like he was trying to fight whatever she was doing to him.” 

“Gabe…” Jack’s voice sounded choked. “I should have listened to you.” You felt helpless, leading Jack to the truth even though it caused him so much pain. There was nothing you could do to ease the blow.

“It makes sense now that Commander Reyes was behind the explosion. Even though he himself is innocent, Moira had enough control over him that he could have planted the charges against his own will. That also explains how he managed to survive the blast. He knew to fake his death and escape to Talon.” You put all of the pieces together. Even though Commander Reyes had caused the explosion in Zurich, Talon was ultimately responsible for the fall of Overwatch. You ran your hands along your stomach. Even over your shirt, you could trace the exact pattern of scars created by the blast. Jack noticed the movement.

“Where were you that day? You never told me what happened during the explosion.” He sat back in the chair, elbows resting on his knees. You took a deep breath, fingers digging into the soft flesh of your stomach as the memories flooded back. Jack deserved to know.

“We had just finished our final training mission, my squad and I. We were in the locker room celebrating, or planning to celebrate. Nguyen had bribed an officer into buying us a bunch of really cheap tequila. We were so excited to be moving out of the recruit bunks.” You smiled at the memory of your teammates.  
“We had barely gotten dressed after showering when the charges went off. We were too close to the blast site. You remember the locker rooms next to the big mess hall? The ones that backed right up to the high command offices? The charges weren’t meant for us, but we were in a really bad spot. Shaw and Juarez were crushed under the wall. Nguyen was caught in the fire. I don’t know what happened to Matsuo and Vanessa; I don’t think I want to.”

Jack’s hand on yours snapped you back to reality. He gently pried your fingers from where you had been gripping your stomach, intertwining them with his own. You squeezed his hand.

“I shouldn’t have survived.” You continued, “But I guess I’m pretty good at not dying when I’m supposed to.” You chuckled wryly. “The force of the blast melted two rows of lockers together with me trapped underneath. I don’t remember much after that. The smoke got too thick, and when I woke up everyone was dead and Overwatch was gone.” You shrugged, trying to lighten the mood a little.

“You said you were pinned under lockers by the high command quarters?” Jack was wearing one of his strange expressions and you worried about what he was going to say next. 

“I think I remember you.” He frowned. You tilted your head in confusion.

“How?”

“Gabe and I had been arguing. We were always arguing. This time was different though. He told me he loved me, that he would die for me. Then the bombs went off.” It was Jack’s turn to squeeze your hand, and you ran your thumb over his calloused and scarred knuckles.  
“When I came to after the blast, I couldn’t find Gabe anywhere. I tore through the rubble for as long as possible, but I couldn’t even find his body. He was just… gone. I managed to pull Chu out of what was left of An-his office, and I found a recruit, unconscious, under a hunk of burning, twisted metal.” He paused, looking you directly in the eyes.

“Sweetheart, I think that was you.”

You gasped. This information didn’t change anything, but somehow, it changed everything. Jack Morrison, saving your life time and time again. It was as though your fates were intertwined. You looked at him with tears in your eyes, meeting his warm gaze.

“Boy, am I lucky to have you around.” You grinned before throwing yourself at the soldier, flinging your arms around his neck and burying your face in his shoulder. It felt so nice to just be close to the man.

“And I’m lucky to have you.” Jack returned the hug, pulling you close to him and running his hand along your back. The two of you stayed like that for several minutes, making up for all the time you missed. You felt the slightest pressure on the top of your head.

“What was he like?” You mumbled into Jack’s shoulder, too at ease to leave the smell of leather and cologne. “Commander Reyes?” Jack chuckled, and you _felt_ the rumble of his chest, the low sound resonating through your body as much as his.

“Gabi?” You pressed your ear into Jack’s pectoral, delighting in the way his voice boomed under the hard muscle there. “Huge asshole. Went from being the worst CO I ever had to being the worst subordinate, but he was a good soldier and a great cook. He and Ana got along too well, always made me look like an idiot.” A grin had spread across Jack’s scarred face, and you couldn’t help but mirror the expression.   
“You wouldn’t think the leader of Blackwatch would be good with kids, but Fareeha couldn’t get enough of him. He had a big family back home that he made sure to call, even when we were stationed in the middle of the fucking swamp. We were his family too, the old strike team. He gave us everything. I owe him everything.” Jack sighed.

“We’re gonna bring him home. His family is still here, waiting for him.” You said resolutely.

“He would have liked you.” Jack smiled, a hand reaching up to brush your hair out of your face. The gentle contact sent shivers down your spine. “Probably would have tried to steal you away to Blackwatch.” You shook your head, blushing furiously at the insinuation that you were good enough to work under Gabriel fucking Reyes.

“I was just a recruit.” You protested.

“He always did that,” Jack continued, “tried to steal my favorite agents.” Your blush deepened at the even bolder claim that you were one of Jack’s _favorites_. 

“Look at me,” Jack commanded, and you pulled your gaze up to meet his eyes. The intensity of his gaze caused your breath to hitch. “You make me such a selfish man,” Jack breathed, and you couldn’t stop the fluttering in your chest, or the heat between your legs, as his eyes dragged down over your lips, down your neck, your chest…

Your own boldness surprised you as you moved closer, closing the gap between you and pressing your lips to his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This story is my favorite son and I'm probably going to cry when it ends. Please come yell at me on my [Tumblr](https://clareguilty.tumblr.com/) and I'll answer all of your asks while I'm on my pain meds for my wisdom teeth!


	11. 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of stuff happens, Reader and Jack become closer. Everyone realises they have to face the Reaper soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This chapter is long and exciting! Thing's are slowly but surely wrapping up and I'm so afraid of the end.

Jack’s lips, scarred and chapped, nipped their way down your jaw, your neck, your collarbone. You knitted your fingers in his hair, gasping into his ear as he lost himself in you.

His hands gripped your hips, pulling you fully into his lap and pressing you down against him. You giggled as the old chair creaked in protest. The old furniture was not built for two very enthusiastic people, but you would make do. Jack trapped the tail end of your laugh under his lips, stealing your breath with his ferocity. You tried your best to match him, moving your lips against his and gripping his shoulders to steady yourself. Desperate for friction, he was grinding your hips against his lap, gripping the soft flesh of your hips and pressing his thumbs into the valley of your hip bones.

“God, sweetheart,” Jack breathed, “You have no clue how long I’ve wanted this.”  
You trailed your lips up over the stubble on his jaw and the ridge of his cheekbone.

“We had better make up for lost time then.” You whispered, twisting your hips under Jack’s iron grip. One of your hands dragged the zipper of his jacket down far enough for you to slip your fingers under the leather and squeeze the muscles of his pectorals. Jack gasped at the sensation. His own fingers crept under the hem of your shirt and inched towards the elastic band of your sports bra. You shuddered at the sensation of his calloused palms against your stomach.

Your eyes rolled back as Jack pushed your sports bra up your chest and rolled your nipples between his thumb and forefinger. His eyes, enraptured, alternated between watching your face and your chest. Moaning, you tipped your head back and gripped Jack tightly, digging your fingers into his hard muscles.

Your comm rang.

“Fuuuuck,” you whined, prying yourself from Jack’s embrace and sliding off his lap. He reluctantly let you step away, watching your flushed, disheveled form fling across the desk to reach your comm and read the name flashing in the screen.

“Angela!” You greeted breathlessly, “What’s up?” You held the comm to your ear with one hand and desperately tried to right your clothing with your other. Jack had leaned back in the chair, hands behind his head, and was watching you with a satisfied grin. “No, I’m not busy right now. Did you need something?” You shot an apologetic look to Jack, who seemed more amused than upset.  
“No, no, no. I can come to you! Are you in your office?” You gestured to your head and mouthed to Jack _How does my hair look?_ You didn’t want to go to Angela looking disheveled and pink. He just shook his head in pity, clearly proud of what he had done to your appearance. You sighed in defeat and did your best to fix the mess he had made.  
“I’ll meet you there.” You assured the doctor, patting your chest and hips to make sure you had everything.

Jack waited for you to hang up before moving from the chair. “Not busy, huh?” He teased.

“Work takes precedence. You of all people should know this, _Commander_.” You stuck your tongue out. Jack’s eyes darkened at your teasing, and the pull in your belly made you wish you could stay with him. “I’m going to meet with Angela and Winston, I think it’s urgent. I’ll call you when I’m done.” You stood on your tiptoes to plant a kiss on Jack’s stubbled cheeks. The tips of his ears flushed hot pink, and you smiled to yourself as you stepped out of the old office.

Angela and Winston were in his lab chatting idly when you came in. Both smiled warmly as you approached the desk.

“What’s up?” You asked, wandering over to your desk to check on your projects real fast before taking the seat next to Winston. Angela cleared her throat.

“After your checkup today, I sent your updated medical files to Winston. He is of the mind that you should be cleared for active duty on the field-“ You didn’t wait for her to finish, “That sounds great!” You grinned at Winston.

“I knew that you would also be supportive of this motion.” Angela sighed, “But I’m worried it may still be too soon for us to know the full effects of the SEP.”

You pouted.

“I had considered asking Jack for his opinion, but I doubt he would be able to execute clear judgment in this particular case.” Angela seemed amused by how vigorously you shook your head.

“Don’t ask Jack.” You said, knowing full well that the old soldier would rather have you confined to a desk for the rest of your time at Overwatch. “Ask Commander Amari. She’s pretty knowledgeable about the SEP serums, and I think she would make the best decision.” Your voice died as you realized Ana would totally keep you out of the field if she didn’t think you were ready, but it was better than nothing.

“I’ll call her now.” Winston agreed. “She understands how badly we need people on the ground.”

“But not at the risk of our agents’ health and safety.” Angela chided as the comms rang.

“Amari speaking.” Ana’s voice rang out on the speakers. “What can I help you with?”

Angela explained the situation, clearly trying to play up her side of the argument. It mattered nothing. Ana was enthusiastically with you and Winston.

“She’ll do fine. It’s more important right now that we get out there and make a difference. I trust that my agents know their limits.” Ana said with a tone of finality. “You can add my name as clearing her for active duty. Signing off.” And with that, Ana hung up.

“That settles it,” Winston said. “She’s cleared.” You cheered in victory.

“Is there anything else you need from me?” You asked, anxious to run and tell Jack the good news.

Angela shook her head, but Winston waved you over to his desk. The blonde doctor slipped out of the lab, likely to return to her office.

“I was looking at the report of the hacked systems at Volskaya, and something caught my eye.” Winston waved up a holo screen and highlighted a specific log entry. “Our surveillance footage doesn’t record any activity at all until the point of the alert, likely a result of Sombra’s hacking. But from these records, it looks like Sombra _activated_ the alarm. There’s traces of a hack in the security system, meaning they had total control over if and when the alarm was triggered.”

“So why sabotage your own infiltration?” You wondered aloud. “We’ve seen what Talon is capable of. If this is a mistake, then it’s their first.”

“A mistake isn’t likely.” Winston shook his head, “But what did Sombra have to gain from sabotaging their own assignment?”

“I have a terrible feeling that we’re going to find out very soon.” You said gravely. There had been much activity and chaos in the past weeks; it was clear things were going to come to a head.

“You’re dismissed, agent.” Winston sounded solemn and distressed. “I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”

* * *

Jack was less than thrilled to learn you had been cleared for active duty. You tried not to let him sour your mood, though. 

“Are you sure it’s safe for you? Why wasn’t I consulted on this?” Jack said with a groan, rubbing the sides of his visor as though that would alleviate a headache.

“You were deemed unfit to make an impartial decision, so we consulted Ana.” You shrugged. Your hands made their way to Jack’s shoulders, squeezing the tense muscles there in an attempt to alleviate pressure. The two of you had met in the rec room, intending to make a late-night meal of Reinhardt’s leftovers(with his permission of course). The microwave beeped and you went to retrieve your plates.

“I’m worried about you.” Jack said finally. “I understand that Winston wants more field agents, but you haven’t even been able to train much since your recovery. It could be risky to send you into an op unprepared.”

You plopped his plate in front of him and tucked into your own helping. Jack removed his visor and set it on the table, within reach. “We can train right now,” You said around a mouthful of food, “after we eat, you can run me through a simulation. If I do well, then we can drop this whole thing.”

Jack said nothing, but he seemed appeased by your practical solution. A few hours in the practice range would provide a pretty measurable display of whether or not you were field ready. Your conversation turned to lighter topics, and you were glad to hear Jack laugh freely as you exchanged silly anecdotes. Fondly, you realized that you loved spending time with Jack like this, no fighting or working or hurting. Just sharing a meal like two friends, like two lovers.

The epiphany made your cheeks flush and you ducked your head to hide the expression on your face.

“What’s wrong sweetheart?” Jack asked, concerned.

“It’s nothing.” You squeaked, heart fluttering at the endearment in his voice.

“Are you okay? Is it the serums? I can-“ his worry was interrupted by Athena,  
“76, Miss Song is approaching.” She notified, exactly as instructed. You had learned that Jack would have the AI warn him when people were coming if he had his visor off. It was both strange and cute how committed he was to keeping his identity a secret. Jack wasted no time, snatching his visor off the table and putting it in place just as the quick slaps of bare feet were heard in the hallway. You were thankful for the interruption, Hana always managed to save the day, even when she didn’t mean to.

Hana skidded into the rec room, freezing when she saw the two of you. Jack’s plate was still warm and half full of food in front of him, and you saw the incredulous confusion in Hana’s eyes.

“You know, old man, sometimes I think you’re secretly an omnic because I never see you eat. But this is just beyond my understanding.” She turned to you, “Does he have a mouth? Or does he just vaporize the food with his laser eyes?” You just shrugged your shoulders with a playful smile. Hana sighed dramatically and padded into the kitchen. You noticed she was wearing a full face of makeup and a clean shirt but just pajama shorts underneath.

“How was your stream?” You asked.

“Eh,” Hana shrugged, “The new support is OP AF and fucked up the meta so the only way to combat stun CC is with tank DPS. My elo may drop this comp season and I’m thinking of returning to Korea to reclaim my title in the world cup.” 

You nodded mutely, not understanding a word of what she just said.

“What’s up with you?” Hana poured herself a grotesque amount of Lucio-Ohs and topped the bowl off with a splash of milk.

“I’m allowed to go out in the field again.” You grinned. Hana looked up from her cereal in surprise.

“That’s great!” She bounded over to give you a hug. “Maybe we can go on a mission together!” 

“They’re not field trips, Agent Song.” Soldier reminded her gruffly.

“Duh,” Hana waved him off, “Did you forget that I was up for a Captain’s ranking before I left Korea?” Soldier seemed a bit surprised by her flippant response. It was easy to separate D.Va the gamer from Lt. Song of the Korean Military. Hana was an expert at adapting to civilian life despite her prowess as a soldier.

“I’m sorry.” Jack said, “I was out of line.” 

“No biggie,” She grabbed her bowl of cereal, “I’m pretty sure I’m outranked by a guy with laser eyes, anyways. See ya!” She scurried out of the room.

Jack waited a moment before removing his visor again. “I’ve never been so afraid of a nineteen-year-old girl before meeting her.” Jack smiled.

“Have you seen her training scores?” You agreed. “I have yet to see her be _bad_ at something.”

* * *

The practice range was eerily still in the midnight hours. You almost regretted powering up the training simulations and disrupting the peace. Jack had no such qualms, switching on every light at once and loudly unlocking the armory. He let you pick out your preferred rifle and sidearm, but didn’t give you a say in which simulation he ran.

A small fleet of practice bots floated out onto the course. They began patrolling in seamless patterns that left little room for maneuvering undetected among them.

“Eliminate all targets.” Jack said, “I’ll be watching to see how you handle yourself down there.”   
You gave a smiley salute before stepping onto the course, immediately sidestepping into cover. You knew the bots would all detect your first shot, so you had to make it a good one. From that point on, your position would be compromised.

Watching the patrol patterns, you noticed a point when two bots both passed into your sight line simultaneously. If you were quick enough, precise enough, you could fell both of them. You mentally counted how many shots you had. You had only brought 5 magazines for your rifle, each with 22 shots as well as your sidearm with 3 extra clips. That would be more than plenty enough to take out all the bots, if you could hit your shots.

The two bots passed by again. You wasted no time. A burst of fire into the direction of each and you had ducked out of your cover, moving to a different position atop a wall. Several bots rushed to the position you had last been, weapons at the ready. You fired upon them. Two fell before you had to reload. You wished you had brought some sort of grenade or flashbang. 

The sound of the bots advancing on your position kicked your adrenaline into overdrive, and you dove off the wall, rolling into a sprint as you raced towards your next position. A few shots rang out behind you. The bots were closing in. You ducked around a corner and expertly navigated to your next position.  
You had the comfort of being familiar with the course, but so did the bots.

Turning into a small corridor, you fired quickly, emptying another whole clip into the several bots that patrolled there. You realized you didn’t know exactly how many bots were on the course, and you hadn’t confirmed any of your previous kills. Sloppy.

You didn’t have the chance to dwell on that fact. Two bots appeared from where you had just entered, and another had blocked the opposing doorway. You ducked low, rolling into an alcove as you landed a headshot on the approaching bot. The alcove wasn’t a good position you noted. Time to move.

You stepped out boldly, stunning the bots with several body shots and buying yourself half a second to reposition. Get out of the corridor. Find high ground.

Finishing the bots in the corridor, you stepped out into the courtyard, rifle ready. Four bots instantly turned to face you. Oh shit. You simultaneously opened fire and sprinted to a stack of crates. Reload. Peek. Fire. You dropped two bots. The other two had also taken cover and were firing each time you dared to poke your head out too far. You _really_ wanted a grenade. Counting shots, you waited until one of the bots went through a reload cycle. Time to run. You dashed up and over the crates, firing all the while. From your new position, you were able to take out both targets. Pride bloomed in your chest. This wasn’t difficult at all.

The last few bots were stragglers and fell easily. You emerged from the course, chest heaving, with a huge smile spread across your face.

“What do you think?” You asked breathlessly, “Field ready?”

Jack crossed his arms. “Spar with me.”

“What?” You asked incredulously, “I just ran a whole course!” You set your rifle down and unclipped your ammo belt: 2 magazines left and you hadn’t even drawn your sidearm.

“Exactly. Spar with me.” Jack didn’t hesitate, moving to a training mat and taking a defensive stance. You sighed heavily and followed his lead. Sure, Jack was being tough on you, but you knew it was because he cared. He didn’t want anything to happen to you.

You were exhausted. The sheer amount of bots you had just taken out was enough to fatigue you, much less taking on an opponent Jack’s size. He was huge. You had sparred with him before and lost every time. There was no way you could win this match, but you were determined to put up a fight.

You both were still for a long moment, each sizing the other up. This was a test, you knew it. Perform well now, and you would have Jack’s respect out in the field. This was your chance to prove yourself.

He was waiting for you to strike first. Waiting for you to overexert yourself, tire yourself out even faster. He had enough stamina to run you to the ground under normal circumstances. Normal circumstances didn’t exist on the battlefield. You needed to finish this quick.

You had to strike first, there was no other option. One step forward. Jack didn’t move. You knew there were no weaknesses in his stance. He was the best. 

D.va had taught you many tricks in the past week, you channeled her advice into your next move. You skirted in and around, counting on Jack to follow you. As he turned, you aimed a kick into his midsection. He stepped back, diminishing the blow, and reached to grab your leg. You twisted away from his grip and reset a few paces off. Back to square one.

You weren’t going to be able to last much longer like this. Something needed to change.

Jack moved first this time. He lunged forward. Your small stature was no match for the brute force behind his motion, so you ducked out of the way. 

It all clicked into place at once. You were smaller and weaker than Jack, but you would always be able to use your smaller size to your advantage. It was about momentum, about balance. Your blood burned with adrenaline and… something more. You realized what was happening with a sharp snap. The SEP chemicals gave you speed and reflexes you had never known before. 

Jack took a few steps to steady himself and you capitalized on the half-second weakness. Your leg swung out to kick his shin, a powerful blow that did little to throw a super-soldier off his game. A sharp blow to his chest had similar effect. You swore. 

Two large hands snaked out and grabbed your collar. You surprised yourself, and Jack, by grabbing his sleeves and pushing your elbows into his wrist, breaking his hold. Time seemed slower than it ever had before. He shook his right hand free, already rearing back for a counter strike. You were faster, took a step to the side. Keeping your grip on his left wrist, you yanked his arm across your body and threw your other arm into the crook of his elbow. Throwing all your weight, you pushed into his leg, wrapping your foot around his ankle and sinking to the floor.

Jack fell.

You trapped both of his wrists under one arm, leaning your weight into the pin and throwing an elbow under his jaw to keep his head on the ground. 

“I win.” You panted. “Did I pass?” Jack was pinned beneath you, his own chest heaving. You sat back on his thighs, releasing his arms. A mistake.

Before you could blink, Jack had flipped the two of you so that you were flat on the mat beneath _him._ “My room. Now.” He growled, pressing his whole body into you.

_Oh._

* * *

Jack’s door had barely slid closed before he was on you. His visor already in his hand, he crowded into your space. You moaned into his kiss, grabbing fiercely at his shoulders and neck, desperate for purchase. You heard the clatter of the visor against the floor as he gripped the backs of your thighs and _lifted_ you. You wrapped your legs around his waist. Breathing hard into Jack’s chest, you felt the world shift around you and suddenly you were being gently sat on the bed.

“Jack,” You gasped as he pulled your shirt over your head, working to bring your sports bra along with it, “I want this. I really do, but I’m exhausted.” You leaned into him. The man had just made you run a whole simulation followed immediately by a grueling sparring match. There wasn’t much energy left in you.

“Don’t worry, babygirl,” Jack said, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth, “I’ll take care of you.” He punctuated his promise with a sharp pull of your nipples, wringing a gasp from your lips. “Lie back for me, okay?”   
You complied, feeling tension in your muscles release as you relaxed onto the bed. Calloused fingers slipped under the waistband of your pants. You shuddered at the light touch against your hip bones. Slowly, teasingly, Jack slid your pants and underwear over your thighs and down your knees, gracing each new inch of exposed skin with a gentle and adoring kiss. “So good for me, babygirl.” He breathed into the plush skin of your thighs.

Your thighs were pushed apart, Jack’s head nestled in the valley between them, and you barely had time to think before he had latched onto your clit with his lips and sucking _hard_. A sharp whine was forced from your throat and you clawed at Jack’s scalp for relief. None came. 

Two fingers worked their way between your lips, sinking deep into your heat without hesitation or forgiveness. You felt jack smirk against you as a string of babbled curses graced his ears. “You taste so good.” Jack breathed as he pulled back. Your short reprieve was punctuated by several nips and kisses along the inside of your thighs. You knew he was leaving marks on the skin, trophies for him to be proud of later.

Jack continued his fervent efforts, swiping his tongue over your clit until you were bucking against his lips, a problem he solved by pushing your hips into the mattress with one hand and fingerfucking you harder with the other. 

You came undone around him, whimpering and shaking as he curled his fingers inside you. A sigh left your lips when he finally stepped back, pulling his shirt over his head and shucking his pants and underwear to the floor. You glanced at his cock, red and swollen. Damn, you were so fucked. Literally.

Jack leaned over you, one large hand over your chest, teasing at your nipples, the other cupping your jaw. He leaned in to kiss you, his lips still slick with your own juices. You had never tasted yourself before, but, on Jack’s lips, it was the finest thing you had ever known. He was gentle as he lined himself up between your legs. The slow push against your over sensitive lips made you whine against his teeth. He took his time, sinking into you as far as your body would let him. You scratched at his biceps, at his shoulders, raked your nails down his back in an attempt to alleviate the pressure, the desperation that was twisting in your belly. 

“Fuck, babygirl, you feel so good.” Jack groaned as you clenched around him.

“Then fuck me already,” You whined, your voice dripping with want.

Jack delivered. His thrusts were hard and deep, teetering on the edge of ‘too rough’ and ‘just right’. He held you close, kissed your lips, your neck, your chest. His hands seemed to be everywhere all at once, gripping your wrists, your hips, your neck. Tension was pooling deep in your belly, and each drag of Jack’s hips was fueling the fire the fire between your legs. Jack seemed to know this because he skimmed his fingers over just the right spots to have you falling apart again. For a brief moment, nothing existed but you and Jack and the sensation of your bodies moving in tandem. You caught Jack’s face between your hands, kissing at the scars that sliced through his features. Jack’s rhythm faltered for a moment and he gasped.

“Are you close?” You asked between kisses. Jack nodded. You mustered up any remaining energy you had and ground your hips down into Jack’s thrusts, gripping his shoulders for leverage. Jack growled, thrusting into you furiously before pulling back altogether, spilling over your stomach and thighs with a deep groan.

He laid beside you, trailing his fingers over the skin he had marked with his lips and teeth. You focused very hard on figuring out how to breath again. Your legs hadn’t stopped shaking and you felt warm tears on your cheeks.

“Hey, babygirl,” Jack asked with worried eyes, “Are you okay?” He turned your face to look at him, studying your expression closely.

You smiled dumbly and nodded. “I’m great,” You laughed. “But I’m about to fall asleep on you.”

“That’s fine, sweetheart. I’m gonna get us cleaned up. You just rest.” You were asleep before he had even climbed out of bed.

* * *

You woke to a familiar sound. Curled up in Jack’s bed, everything felt safe and warm.

Singing. 

_A la nanita nana_   
_nanita ella, nanita ella_   
_Mi niña tiene sueño_   
_bendito sea, bendito sea_

Jack was singing again. You laid very still, just listening to the low tenor of his voice and the way he carefully formed each syllable of the lullaby. One of his hands was gently tracing along your arm, fingers brushing over the smooth skin there. 

_Fuentecita que corre_   
_Clara y sonora_   
_Ruiseñor que en la selva_   
_Cantando y llora_   
_Calla mientras la cuna_   
_Se balancea_   
_A la nanita nana_   
_Nanita ella_

The lullaby was familiar, yet foreign. A rich, Spanish melody that sounded surprisingly comfortable in Jack’s gravelly voice. The tune ended, Jack’s voice rasping out the last few notes, heavy with emotion.

“What song is that?” You rolled over, looking up to meet Jack’s eyes. “It sounds familiar.”

“It’s a lullaby Gabe taught me back in SEP. Always managed to pull me through my seizures.”

You nuzzled into the broad chest that was obscuring most of your vision, fisting Jack’s worn cotton shirt in your small hands. “Why does it sound like I’ve heard it before?” You asked.

“Jesse sang it to you- after the transfusion, during your seizures.” The memory was hazy, but you could hear the low bellow of the cowboy’s voice, somewhere in your subconscious. “And…” Jack hesitated a moment, “I’ve been singing it to you while you sleep. It seems to help you rest easier.”

You leaned up to place a soft kiss on Jack’s cheek. “Thank you for looking out for me.” The pink that instantly colored the old soldier’s complexion brought a smile to your face, and you couldn’t resist a second kiss. Large hands rested heavily on your shoulders, holding you still and forcing you to meet Jack’s gaze. Heat flooded your cheeks, and you tried to look away.

“I won’t let anything happen to you again.” Jack said, voice hard like steel.

“That’s not something you can promise.” You laughed breathlessly. “I’m just a magnet for disaster.” 

The grip on your shoulders tightened, and Jack pulled you in close to his chest. You heard him breathe shakily into your hair.

“Teach me the lullaby.” You mumbled into his chest.

“What?” Jack asked.

“Teach me Gabe’s lullaby.” You sat back, “I want to know it.”

Jack’s eyes flooded with admiration. He nodded solemnly and brushed a piece of hair from your face.

 

The two of you lazed around for much of the morning. It wasn’t often that you had such time to yourself, much less that you could actually enjoy it. You managed to sweet talk Jack out of his pajamas and spent many long minutes exploring every inch of scarred skin you could reach. Jack seemed to really enjoy the attention, panting softly and mussing up your hair as your lips journeyed over his chest, his arms, his pelvis.

Tentatively, shyly, you reached out to lick at the head of his cock. The noise that erupted from deep in Jack’s throat was instant encouragement to keep going.   
Jack was gentle as he placed a hand on the nape of your neck, blunt fingernails lightly scratching the sensitive skin there.

You weren’t familiar with Jack, not like this, but you did your best to learn every pull of your lips that made him gasp, every swipe of your tongue that made him shudder.

“Babygirl, please,” He growled. You doubled your efforts, scratching at the skin of his hips and thighs. You turned your eyes up to look at Jack. His skin was flushed red and his eyes burned with want and love. The two of you locked eyes and you felt his cock twitch. “I’m close.” Jack breathed. You didn’t look away from his eyes as he finished in your mouth. You swallowed him down before sitting back on your feet, breathless and proud.

Jack surged forward to capture you in his arms and kiss you deeply, uncaring of his own salty taste in your mouth. Your hands roved over his body, eager to commit as much of the landscape of his skin to memory as possible. Jack’s own hands slid down your ribs, your waist, snaking around to squeeze your ass before sliding back around and between your thighs. You were absolutely soaked.

“All this for me?” Jack grinned cockily. Ashamed, you hid your face in his shoulder. Jack swiped two fingers through your slick and brought them up to his lips, loudly and lewdly sucking the digits clean. You tried to burrow deeper into the crook of his collarbone.

Two comms beeped.

You groaned in frustration. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” 

“Work comes first, babygirl.” Jack teased, untangling himself from you and checking both of your comms. He frowned.  
“Winston wants us in the briefing room. It’s urgent.”

Sure enough, Athena politely interrupted to request both of you report to Winston. 

“I’m gonna use your shower.” You declared. Jack intercepted you between sliding off the bed and the bathroom door.

“Excuse you?” He asked with a smile. You swatted his arm and ducked around him, expertly weaving past his attempt to catch you.

“You can come too,” you winked before sauntering into the bathroom.

* * *

You and Jack were the last to arrive to Winston’s briefing. Surprisingly, the entire original strike team was present along with… Hana? You plopped into the seat between her and Lena.

_What’s going on?_ you mouthed. Hana just shrugged, equally as confused.

“Now that everyone is here, I’d like to begin.” Winston opened a series of holo screens. Your eyes widened when you realized what you were looking at. The rest of the Old Overwatch members looked distressed as well.

“Talon was sighted at the ruins of the Swiss base.” Winston reported. You stared at the surveillance footage in horror. Red and white armor patrolling the rubble and ash of the explosion. Your blood boiled. That used to be your _home_. You spotted the ruins of the practice range, the cafeteria, the high command offices, all desecrated by unfeeling terrorists.

“What on earth did they think they could find there?” Angela asked. Her brows were knit together in worry and fear.

Winston switched to another set of footage. Reaper stood menacingly over the Talon soldiers, arms crossed and smoke pouring from behind his mask. “I don’t know, but Reaper was behind it.” You heard Jesse make a noise from the back of the room. “Talon has been more active lately, bolder. Reaper’s last two missions failed and I have reason to believe he is growing desperate for anything he can bring to Doomfist. He was unsuccessful in his attack here, at Volskaya, at Ilios, and at the museum. He is desperate for information on Overwatch, but he hasn’t found anything in years. I have reason to believe he stole tech from Watchpoint: Grand Mesa several years ago, but Helix Security reports the servers were untouched.”

“That was me,” Jack spoke up, “I broke into Grand Mesa. Needed to get a rifle.” He shuffled awkwardly where he stood. Someone, probably Jesse, attempted to hide a bark of laughter behind a cough.

Winston blinked.

“Continuing,” he pulled up a map with several points highlighted, “I believe that Talon’s next point of attack will be the castle at Eichenwalde, or at Cairo. Both locations have information that could be invaluable to Talon.”

“That man has no right to desecrate the halls of Eichenwalde!” Reinhardt roared, catching everyone off guard, “Balderich gave his sacrifice so that Overwatch could be born.”

“You must return, Reinhardt, and defend his resting place.” Winston said solemnly. “Reinhardt, Ana, Soldier: 76, Genji, and Agent Song will go to Eichenwalde.” He pulled up schematics of the village. “Reinhardt will take point, I trust that your knowledge of the area will give you an advantage over and Talon agents.”

Hana gripped your arm. “I’m going out in the field!” She hissed to you excitedly. You grinned. It looked like you were going to be on the team to Cairo.

“Fareeha, Torbjorn, Angela, McCree, and Lena will go to Cairo. Fareeha, you will lead this operation. Defend the city as you have done before.” Fareeha nodded resolutely.

You, Lena, and Hana all exchanged looks of confusion. You hadn’t been assigned to a strike team.

You seethed throughout the rest of the briefing, glaring at Winston. He said nothing of your position. You stayed behind as everyone was dismissed, waiting with your arms crossed as everyone filed out to prepare for deployment.

“I thought I was cleared to return to the field.” You accused when it was just the two of you.

“You are, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to send you into a combat zone first thing after your recovery.” Winston frowned.

“I’m good to fight. You can ask Jack.” You stood your ground. Nothing was going to stop you from fighting where you were needed. This is what you came back for: stopping talon, stopping Reaper, saving Gabriel. 

“You can run comms with me.” Winston said, it was an offer, a patch fix for a bigger problem. Hell no.

“I’m going to Eichenwalde.”

“If Reaper shows up- if Widowmaker shows up…” Winston looked to the floor, “It’s too risky.”

“I can handle Commander Reyes.” You had never faced either Reaper or Widowmaker before, but that didn’t mean you weren’t prepared. It was where you knew you needed to be, fighting alongside Jack, alongside Hana, Commander Amari, and Reinhardt.

“That _thing_ isn’t Commander Reyes anymore.” Winston growled. “That monster could kill you.”

“That’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.” You raised your voice. “This is my fight too. I’m doing this because I see the good in the world. I see that there could still be good in Gabriel. If you won’t let me fight these battles, then what was the point of me even coming back at all?” You couldn’t help it; you turned away. You and Winston both saw where you were leading with this. If Overwatch wouldn’t let you fight, then you would leave. You remembered what Hana had said. _No one is keeping us here._ But that wasn’t true. You couldn’t abandon Jack. You couldn’t abandon your family. You hoped Winston wouldn’t make you choose.

“Is there any way I can convince you not to go to Eichenwalde?” Winston asked, a plea in his voice.

“Talon isn’t going to wait for me to get stronger.” You said.

“I’ll let Reinhardt know you’re being added to his strike team.” Winston turned with a sigh and left you in the briefing room alone. 

You had won the argument, but it didn’t feel like a victory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Feel free to yell at me on my [Tumblr](https://clareguilty.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> I appreciate every comment and kudos! Y'all are so amazing and this has been such a journey.


	12. 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Soldier defend Eichenwalde castle from Talon invaders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The long journey has finally come to an end! I'm both excited and sad to see this project finish at last!

Jack was furious to learn that you had been added to the Eichenwalde operation.

“It’s too dangerous.” He said. “You’re not setting a foot on the ground anywhere near that castle.” His voice carried the ghost of a commanding tone, but truly, Jack just sounded tired.

“Winston approved it. And I’m sure Ana would back me up if it really came down to it.” You were resolute. It was a strange discussion to be having, curled against Jack’s chest as you lounged on the couch in his quarters.

“I want to keep you as far away from this fight as possible.” He stroked your hair. You leaned into the touch, but didn’t let him distract you.

“And I want to fight right there beside you.” You retorted.

Jack sighed heavily and pulled you closer. His presence was solid and comforting. You had yearned for him for so long; it was almost a dream to be so close to him. 

“Do you think Gabriel will be there?” You asked timidly after several moments. Winston had only speculated that Talon would break into Eichenwalde, but Winston was rarely wrong.

“I can’t say for certain, but I’m ready to face him this time.” Jack said.

You said nothing. You _wanted_ to be ready to fight The Reaper, but you didn’t know if you were strong enough. He was powerful, otherworldly, deadly. You had never been face to face with a monster like that before.

But he was not a monster. He was Gabriel. He was Jack’s friend. His brother in arms. Gabriel meant something to Jack, to Jesse, to Ana. He meant something to you.

There had to be a way to save him.

You clutched Jack’s shirt, burying your face in his chest. You were prepared to fight. You were prepared to die. You weren’t prepared to lose. The idea of Reaper getting away, of Jack or Hana getting hurt; you couldn’t bear it.

Thoughts raced behind your eyes as you inhaled Jack’s scent. You felt useless. What could you do to help the team?

“I have to go to the lab right now, immediately.” You said, jolting upright. Jack tried to pull you back into his arms, but you wrenched away from his grasp and scrambled to find your boots.

“Sweetheart, you need to rest. We both do. Now is not the time to work yourself to death.” Jack tried to persuade you. “We have to meet with Reinhardt this evening.”

“I’ll sleep after the meeting. I need to do this.” You snatched your comm and began furiously messaging Winston and Satya. Before practically sprinting out the door, you placed a quick kiss on Jack’s cheek.

* * *

You had already drafted your design in a holo projection by the time Satya met you in the lab. Winston had been helpfully gathering any materials he could find to help you with the construction process.

“I am here. What do you need of me?” Satya asked as she approached.  
You smiled up at her only to see she was already scrutinizing your design.  
“Don’t use this sensor.” She highlighted the component in red, “I have a few of the redesigns that are more accurate. Use those.” She inserted the new component before moving on to make adjustments with the motors.

“Miss Vaswani,” Winston began as he set a large box of parts on the construction field floor. “Do you have a smaller version of your Photon Projector that can be deployed to Eichenwalde?”

“I promise it won’t be damaged.” You assured her, “Once all of the sentries are deployed, I can return it to the dropship.”

“Do not worry.” Satya waved her hand dismissively, “Take the Photon Projector into combat. I could use the field testing data.”

You were very thankful for her help as she looked over your designs. She noticed tiny details you had never paid mind to that managed to improve the motion and sensors beyond what you thought possible. Vishkar’s greatest designer, helping _you_ with your projects. It was a dream come true.

“I have to say,” Satya spoke to you as she picked through the different pieces Winston had brought, “This design is rather ingenious. Weaponizing a mobility system that is usually used by field support.”

You blushed at the compliment, Satya rarely gave out praise. “Thank you. I had originally hoped to use a stun mechanism, but there wasn’t enough time to develop the new tech.”

“Work with Dr. Zhou when you return. Her offensive freezing devices would be very helpful with that.” 

The idea was appealing, Mei’s cryo-weaponry could accomplish exactly what you wanted.

“Did you hear? The OR-15’s in Numbani are being outfitted with graviton technology. Imagine what we could do with something like that.” You sighed wistfully.

“The Oladele girl is an engineer with Reason beyond our capacity.” Satya agreed.

“I would argue that it has less to do with Reason, and more to do with Imagination.” You said, organizing motors and sensors into neat piles.

“Yes!” Winston cheered, “A child’s imagination will do more for the world than we will ever truly understand.”

Satya scoffed, clearly unimpressed by you and Winston’s subjective optimism.

* * *

You left the lab at one point to see Jesse. After a moment of hesitation, you knocked on the door to his room nervously, hoping he wasn’t angry with you for shutting him out.

The door opened and you were surprised to find yourself wrapped in a colossal bear hug. “How ya doin’ pumpkin?” He asked.

“I’m fine,” You shuffled awkwardly as you stepped into his room, “I uh- I wanted to apologize for the way I’ve been treating you lately. I was upset and scared and I took it out on you because I didn’t realize how much it would hurt. It wa wrong of me an-”

“You’re fine,” McCree grabbed your shoulders. “It’s okay. You needed some time to work through everything and I’m glad you got yourself sorted out. It’s good to have you back.” He plopped onto his bed, patting the mattress next to him. You sighed and sat down.

“So,” McCree began, “You and Jackie?” His eyebrows quirked up in the typical way that made you want to smack him.

“I apologized for everything. It was wrong of me to lash out at him that way.” You looked at the ground.

“That’s not what I was talking about,” McCree shook his head, “Don’t think I didn’t notice the way you and him showed up to briefing yesterday. You finally fucked the stick out of his ass.” 

“JESSE!” You shrieked, smacking him. “I can’t believe you!”

“I’m happy for you!” He raised his hands defensively, chuckling as you relentlessly slapped him. “The two of you have never looked more relaxed, a couple of workaholics.” 

You huffed, crossing your arms and sulking as Jesse laughed at your expense.

“Was the sex good?” He asked, nudging your elbow, “It’s probably been _years_ since Jack got fucked. Probably about the time I left Overwatch. I bet he didn’t las-”

You clamped your hand over his mouth, effectively stopping whatever lewd comment he was about to make. “The sex was good, Jesse. Those super-soldier chemicals are good for something.” 

This time it was Jesse’s turn to make a face. You saw the regret in his eyes. “You know what? I wish I never asked. I don’t really like thinking ‘bout the Strike Commander fucking.” He shook his head. You cackled and poked his side. “I am glad the two of you are happy.” He slung an arm around your shoulder. “Be safe at Eichenwalde, ok? Don’t let Jack do anything stupid if Gabe shows up.” 

“Same goes for you in Cairo.” You shot back, “I need you back in one piece.”

* * *

Winston successfully constructed a prototype of your design by the time you had to meet with Reinhardt that evening. Lena volunteered excitedly to be the first living test subject. She was used to being the guinea pig because of her recall ability. You made sure to have snacks on hand just in case she had to use it.

Reinhardt let you present first. It went beautifully. Satya had come along to see how her modified tech held up and you were glad to see her genuinely smile as Lena cartwheeled across the presentation room floor with a flash of red light.

“These are sentry teleporters.” You began. “It’s a combination of both of Satya’s inventions, taking advantage of the renewal property of hard light. The same sensors from her sentry turrets locks onto hostile targets, predicting their trajectory and deploying an instant teleporter capable of moving the hostile to a different location, be that a holding cell or a different combat zone. The teleporters are one-way only, preventing hostiles from returning to their original position. This prototype proposes a new method of non lethal interaction with targets, decreasing the amount of casualties on the field.”   
Lena, throughout your explanation, had been darting around the room, triggering the different sentries and spontaneously relocating to the secondary teleporter. She became more enthusiastic and acrobatic as you explained the schematics, punctuating your in depth analysis of motors and sensors and projection ranges with shouts of glee as she somersaulted over a table and into a waiting teleporter.

“If it is okay with Acting Captain Wilhelm, I propose to utilize this technology at Eichenwalde to hold down the back line of defense and reduce the amount of lives taken during combat.” You finished your proposal. Ana beamed at you and Hana gave you a big thumbs up as you closed out your holo projections.

Reinhardt cleared his throat, “I support the use of the new sentry technology. You will be responsible for the deployment of the sentry teleporters, and I have approved your request to carry the smaller model of the Photon Projector. Lena, Satya, you are dismissed.” He stood, towering over the rest of the briefing room. A large map of the village and citadel at Eichenwalde appeared, with specific markers highlighted across the map. Lena planted a kiss on your cheek before she blinked out of the room. You blushed and slid into the seat next to Ana.

“Our team will be defending the Castle Eichenwalde from any potential Talon invaders.” Reinhardt’s voice boomed over the room. “The village has been long abandoned, ravaged by the omnic crisis and left in disrepair.” He plotted several markers throughout the cobble streets. “These are the best points for holding defenses against whatever Talon brings. If we can keep them from pushing through the portcullis, there is nothing to worry about. The keep itself is incredibly sturdy, I was just there several months ago with Miss Lindholm and it appears that all of the structures are perfectly intact. This new sentry technology will provide an added last line of defense. Any apprehended enemy agents will be contained within castle’s own dungeons, removing them from combat and ensuring their capture.”

“Athena has prepared a transport to leave at 05:00 hours. If we work efficiently, we can have all our defenses prepared by sunrise. Winston projects that Talon could arrive, at the earliest, mid day tomorrow. We must be ready. Mr. Shimada, Commander Amari, I have a complete list of supplies to be loaded tonight. Miss Song, please gather the necessary equipment from the armory.” Reinhardt turned to you, eyes shining, “Have Winston deliver your new tech to the loading bay, then get some rest.” You flushed and nodded your affirmation. You had earned your place on the team with your sentry teleporters.

* * *

“What you did today was amazing,” Jack told you once you had returned to his quarters that evening. A flush reached your cheeks at his praise, and you ducked your head as you double checked the contents of your pack. After Reinhardt’s briefing, you had dashed to your quarters to gather your gear for Eichenwalde before returning to Jack.   
“I’m serious,” He insisted, “You developed an entire new set of tech to take onto the field in just under a few hours. Not only that, but this tech is a revolutionary non lethal containment system. Sweetheart, I’m so proud of you.”

Jack’s arms folded around you, and he dropped his head over your shoulder. His stubble tickled your neck. You zipped up your gear and slid the bag to the floor. Turning in his embrace, you cupped his face in your hands and kissed him sweetly.

“Please stay safe.” Jack said softly, “For me.” He gripped you tighter, pulled you in closer. “I couldn’t bear to see you get hurt again.”

“It will be fine.” You assured him. “I’ll be fine.” Fingers tugged the zipper of his jacket down, removing the layers between you. Jack’s hands landed on your hips; a strong grip pulled you off the ground, crushing you against his chest. You threw your arms around his neck; he gasped into your mouth, your hair. 

He wanted to bring you closer, but there was already no space between you. No matter what he did, he still felt the desperate pull to squeeze you tighter, kiss you harder. How could he show you that he loved you to the ends of the earth? That he would give everything to keep you safe?

You soothed his fears a little bit by kissing along his scars, tenderly trailing the ragged skin. Jack knew that you loved him for the man that he was, the man that he always would be. You saw no difference between Strike Commander Jack Morrison and Soldier: 76; he would always be a hero.

The night ended with you laying on Jack’s chest as you traced his scars with your fingertips and listened to the steady thud of his heartbeat. He dragged his fingertips along the bare skin of your ribs, listening to your breath hitch as he brushed sensitive spots with his feather light touches.

You placed a chaste, wet kiss to a nipple. Even the pink peak was scarred from decades of war, but still sensitive. Jack groaned deeply as you worried his nipple with your lips. Blunt fingernails pressed crescents in the soft of your hips, thumbs pressing into the flesh just inside your hip bones. You tried to wiggle out of his hold, testing his strength. No dice. Jack wasn’t letting you go anywhere.

He ground you down against him, your shorts against his sweatpants. You let your eyes flutter closed and dug your nails into his pectorals.

“I want to ride you.” You whispered into his ear. Jack’s hips stuttered at your words. You felt his dick twitch under you.

“Fuck sweetheart,” he choked out, “yeah- sure, go for it.”

He released his hold on you, and you shimmied out of your shorts and tugged Jack’s sweats down. Your hand flew between your legs, fingers working quickly to ready yourself for Jack’s cock. He rested his hands on the outside of your thighs and massaged the soft flesh there.

Very slowly, you slid down Jack’s length. The stretch forced a gasp from your throat.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Jack brushed his knuckles over your cheekbone, “You look so hot riding my cock.”   
You whimpered in response and ground down against him, twisting your hips as you braced yourself on his chest. The sensation was overwhelming, being filled so completely, seated on Jack’s thick length. Jack held your hips, guiding you as you rode him. 

Your pace must not have been enough for Jack because his hips began bucking up into yours. In a sudden blur, you were on your back, and Jack was pounding into you with more force than you thought possible. Each slam of his hips forced a breathy whine from your throat.

You came with a loud cry, clawing into Jack’s shoulders and clenching down hard on his cock. Jack buried his teeth in your shoulder at the sensation. His thrusts became arrhythmic and halted as he buried himself inside you.

His weight collapsed on top of you as he shuddered through his orgasm. You giggled and tried to push him off. The sensation of him pulling out sent a shudder through you and you moaned as he moved to clean himself up. His seed dripped out of you, and your eyes fluttered shut from the strange feeling. 

Jack cleaned you up carefully, and you were surprised when he lifted you off the bed and carried you into the bathroom. The bathtub was filled with warm, soapy water and he situated the both of you in the suds, drawing you in close to him and humming softly as your body learned how to work again.

* * *

Ana approached you on the transport to Eichenwalde. You were sitting at the table in the corner with your datapad and the schematics for the Eichenwalde Keep when she sat down beside you. 

“I’m glad that you and Jack have found each other,” She began.

“Are we really that obvious?” You asked, face twisting in embarrassment. You weren’t trying to keep your relationship with Jack a secret, but you didn’t want to air your business to the entire watchpoint.

“No,” Ana chuckled, “But we’ve all know Jack for years. He’s a part of our family, and we want him to be happy. We want you to be happy too.”

“Thank you.” You blushed. The new Overwatch had become your home, your family, in the past several months, and it was reassuring to know that they supported you. Now, you had Jack. The two of you were bonded by his blood. He would always be a part of you. You carried him with you. Your new body, your new strength, was given to you from Jack saving your life. You owed him everything.

“We’re all very proud of you,” She said, “And I’m very happy for you and Jack. It’s good that he has found someone after all these years.” She placed a hand on your shoulder, eye shining with emotion, “We didn’t think he would love again, not after what happened at Zurich. It means so much to see him happy again.” 

“What happened at Zurich?” You asked. You didn’t know that Jack had been in a relationship before the explosion, but it made perfect sense. He was amazing, wonderful, kind. It just struck you as odd that he had never even mentioned it before.

“We had lost Gabriel long before the explosion.” Ana said, “We know now that it was Moira, Talon, taking him away piece by piece, but Jack always blamed himself. They couldn’t keep their jobs separate from their hearts, and Jack thought he had driven Gabriel away over a shitload of UN red tape and bureaucracy.” She sighed, “They loved each other; up until the second the bombs went off, they loved each other, but Talon knew that driving them apart was the most important part of bringing Overwatch down. Their love was the biggest target in all of Zurich.” She stared ahead, jaw set and brow furrowed.

You felt like the wind had been knocked out of you. You looked around, did everyone else know? Was everyone else’s world crashing down around them?

Reinhardt was piloting the dropship, looking comically large in the small helm seat. Hana was sleeping curled up in the booth, looking peaceful and sweet as she clutched her rifle case. Genji was meditating. Jack was at the helm.

“I- I didn’t know,” Your voice was small, “I didn’t know Jack and Gabriel were together.” You mind was racing with hundreds of thoughts.

_How did you not know this? It was obvious. Of course Jack and Gabriel were together. You had heard the way Jack spoke of the Blackwatch Commander. Did Jack still love Gabriel? Did Jack want to try and fix things between him and Gabriel? Would Jack leave you if Gabriel came back? Did Jack even love you? Were you just something for him to pity, to use? Would Gabriel be able to love Jack again? Did you want Jack to be happy, even if it wasn’t with you?_

Ana knelt in front of you, forcing you to meet her eye. “Stop it. Whatever is going on in that wonderful brain of yours, stop it. Jack cares about you. Don’t you ever doubt that for a second. Don’t think of yourself as a replacement for Gabriel. You are so much more than that.”  
She clasped your hands in hers. “I’m sorry that you didn’t know about Jack and Gabriel, but you were going to find out some day. Don’t let this eat at you. You are good. You are good for Jack.”

You nodded, trying to commit Ana’s words to your memory. You would need her assurance in the coming days, you knew.

* * *

The stone of Eichenwalde Castle was cold in the pre-dawn darkness. The six members of your strike team were scattered across the keep and village, setting up security and defenses for an assault that may not even come. You had rigged up almost a dozen sentry teleporters throughout the halls and gates of the keep.

The morning passed calmly. Reinhardt was an excellent captain, delegating tasks and keeping spirits high. His fond tales of the omnic crisis made the strange and empty castle feel less hollow.

You took lunch within the keep with everyone but Ana who was keeping watch on the ramparts. Hana and Genji were friendly and raucous during the meal, carrying a conversation about video games that you couldn’t follow. Jack and Reinhardt were poring over surveillance, constantly suggesting new points of attack and positions for shielded fire. You traced the lines on the castle floor, wondering about the history of this village, these forests.

Genji and Soldier left to patrol the village, while Hana stayed along the bridge to the castle door. You took up the tower looking over both the portcullis and the bridge. The forest on the mountainside was beautiful and still; you wished to come back one day when there wasn’t the threat of an attack.

Jack checked in with you frequently, switching to a separate channel on your comms just to reassure you and ease your nerves. You sensed that he was just as worried and nervous as you were, if not more. 

“Incoming!” Ana yelled, you heard her voice carry over the stone just after it blared in your comms. “Air drop!”

You watched a large object plummet towards Eichenwalde, indiscernible against the mid-day sun. As the shape grew nearer you realized it was headed straight towards the village. 

Even from several hundred meters away, the force of the impact knocked you off your feet. You scrambled back up, peering over the ramparts to see what had happened. A large plume of dust had erupted over the entirety of the village nearest the castle.

“Everyone check in,” Reinhardt ordered. Five voices responded, all uninjured and okay. “76, Shimada, keep an eye on the village perimeter, it looks like there’s movement coming from the forest treeline.” 

“We’ve just confirmed they have aerial support, so keep an eye out for birds.” Ana warned.

Several moments of silence passed. The anticipation had your heart pounding. Soldier’s voice rang out.

“Enemies coming in from the pub downtown,” He reported, “We need shields under the archway,”

Reinhardt charged that direction with a roar, followed by Hana with her rifle. It was strange seeing her out in the field without her MEKA, but you knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

“It looks like there’s a whole company, mostly positioned at the lower village.” Genji said, the sounds of combat echoing over his comms. 

You raced down the stairs, dashing through a corridor to the left of the portcullis and raising your weapon. Talon soldiers were rushing up the village streets. The brilliant blue of Reinhardt’s shield sparked with gunfire. Several troopers were scaling the hillside, climbing up to the crater left by whatever had fallen from the sky. The dust had settled and you peered at the object. It looked like… a battering ram? Talon could blast through the castle doors no problem with that thing.

You fired into the men coming over the hillside. They fell easily enough and you felt a surge of confidence. Eichenwalde wasn’t going to fall today.

A loud shot, louder than most, rang out from the street.

“Widowmaker!” Soldier yelled, “Keep your heads down.”

“I’ll focus her,” Ana said, “Worry about keeping them away from that battering ram.”

You set up sentry turrets near the crater, holding down the village square as best you could. Reinhardt, Hana, and Genji were slowly but surely being pushed back towards your position.

“Reaper spotted,” Genji yelled, “Should I engage?” You could hear the edge in his voice.

“No,” Reinhardt ordered, “We must defend the castle.”

Your blood froze. Gabriel was here. The Reaper was here. You scanned the village square for any sign of the smoky, black figure, but there was none. 

The battle waged on. 

You had just sent a sentry teleporter in the direction the last sniper shot came from when your comm crackled loudly. The sound of an explosion echoed through the streets.

“Report in,” Reinhardt roared. Four voices chimed back. You could see Genji and Hana, both firing from behind Reinhardt’s shield. Ana was still perched on the balcony above the battering ram. 

Jack.  
Jack didn’t respond.

“Soldier: 76, report in.” Reinhardt demanded.  
Silence.

“Jack,” His name was a choked sob on your lips. You sprinted towards the archway, drawing your side arm. Genji reached for you, but you ducked away.

“Get behind me!” Reinhardt called as you dashed past his shield, running into an empty cafe on the corner and ducking behind the counter. Several Talon Troopers ran past you. You slipped out of the cafe, turning down a set of stairs into another shop.

Jack was lying on the floor.

You were at his side in an instant. The air burned your eyes and throat and you looked to see a detonated venom mine on the wall just inside the door. Jack must have triggered it.

“Soldier’s down!” You yelled over comms, “He activated a venom mine!”

“Stay with him,” Ana ordered. “We can’t get to you right now, but I’ll get there the second I get a chance.” You heard the fight over the comms. Things were getting bad.

Jack’s chest was heaving and his muscles spasmed and stiffened strangely. A neurotoxin.  
You removed the faceplate of his visor, grabbing his face in your hands.

“Jack! Jack look at me!” You searched his eyes. They were unfocused and rimmed red. “Please,” You begged, “I need you.” Tears were streaming down your face.

You couldn’t lose him. Not now. He had saved you. He had given you a part of him. You were supposed to help him, supposed to fight alongside him. After months of longing, you finally knew he cared. You loved him. 

Jack’s convulsions worsened, the thrashing of his arms threatening to hurt you if you didn’t do something. His teeth chattered loudly, his head turning from side to side in agony as the chemicals worked through his bloodstream. The muscles in his neck and jaw tensed as he gasped for air. You wanted to scream. You didn’t have any biotics, didn’t have a med kit. The biotic field on Jack’s belt was empty. You cracked it uselessly and wailed when it sparked, then died. There was nothing you could do to save him.

The lullaby.

Gabriel’s lullaby used to help Jack through his seizures. It helped you through your seizures. It was the only thing you had. Your voice was hoarse and broken as you sang. You braced your knees on his arms to keep him still; your forehead rested on his chest. 

It worked. Jack’s breathing began to steady and he stopped thrashing beneath you. You sobbed against him, cradling his head in your hands and begging him to wake up.  
“Please wake up,” You cried, “I love you. Please don’t leave me.”  
Jack continued to shake, so you resumed the lullaby.

You didn’t notice the black smoke materializing behind you as you sang. Jack stilled at the last few notes of the lullaby, his head lolling back, eyes closed.

A heavy footstep on the wood behind you snapped you back to reality. You turned, shielding Jack’s body with your own.  
Two shotguns hovered inches from your face. You stared up into the mask of the Reaper. The black smoke poured off of him and drifted to the ground below. Clawed fingers rested on the triggers, ready to put an end to both you and Jack right there. This was the Reaper. This was Gabriel. Jack had loved this man. This man had loved Jack. 

You straightened your shoulders, lifted your chin. The smoking guns before you didn’t scare you. Nothing you hurt you more than the pain Jack was enduring right now.

“Gabriel,” You begged, pleading with the expressionless mask. “Save him. Please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! Leave a comment here or come scream at me over on my [Tumblr](https://clareguilty.tumblr.com/) !

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I have a lot to write for this story, including a possible prequel piece. Please check out Misconduct by Anti and Five for more Reader/76 greatness!


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